PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Chris Santi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Carson Holliday (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Holliday has chosen Andreas Johnson - Glorious as his entrance music. Both fighters will be looking to make this an exciting fight for the fans, I'm sure!

Santi
vs
Holliday

177 cm
25
178 lbs
13 - 11 - 0

190 cm
23
179 lbs
11 - 4 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
KO power

ADCC Champion
Counter striker
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 13 - 11 - 0, fighting out of New York, Chris Santi!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 4 - 0, fighting out of New York, Carson Holliday!
The judges for this bout are Steve Montenegro, Columbo Gatti and Franklyn Lucas.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Holliday steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Santi.
Holliday tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Santi swivels and escapes.
Santi throws a lazy right hand but Holliday sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Santi is looking to clinch but Holliday is avoiding it.
Holliday with a lazy takedown attempt
and Santi cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Santi tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Holliday paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Santi shoots in but no luck this time.
Santi misses with a wild body shot.
A decent looking cross lands there for Santi.
Santi looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Santi fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Chris Santi. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Santi closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Holliday to the mat! Holliday manages to get full guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Holliday is looking for a triangle but Santi pushes his legs off easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Santi tries to free his leg and advance position but Holliday is retaining full guard.
Santi is working hard here to advance position.
Santi wants to control from the top but Holliday keeps moving.
Holliday looking for a sweep. Not yet Holliday, not yet.

Holliday looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Santi might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Santi trying to control but Holliday is working from the bottom.

Holliday is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Santi not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Santi looking to pass the guard.
Santi wants to control from the top but Holliday keeps moving.
Santi looking to pass the guard.

Santi has gone for a leg lock! Holliday slips out almost immediately though and dives into Santi's guard.
Holliday is stalling in the full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Holliday trying to control but Santi is working from the bottom.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Santi misses with a hook

and Holliday counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Santi!
Santi tries to get back to half guard but can't.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Santi is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Santi is squirming around, avoiding Holliday's attempts to control the action.
Holliday sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Santi wants to control but Holliday is having none of it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Poor strikes thrown by Holliday there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Chris Santi will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Santi shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Holliday manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Santi pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Holliday is keeping the position for now.
Santi trying to control the position from guard on top but Holliday is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Santi trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Santi wants to control from the top but Holliday keeps moving.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Holliday keeping full guard, as Santi tries to pass.

Santi avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Holliday keeping moving, preventing Santi from controlling successfully.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Santi has gone for a leg lock! Holliday slips out almost immediately though and dives into Santi's guard.

Santi has his foot on Holliday's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Holliday works his way back into a safe position though.
Holliday trying to control the position from guard on top but Santi is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Santi is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Holliday trying to control the position from guard on top but Santi is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Holliday controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Carson Holliday.
Holliday tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Santi swivels and escapes.

Holliday gets caught napping as Santi dives in and scores a takedown. Holliday manages to retain guard.
Santi trying to control but Holliday is working from the bottom.
Santi pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Holliday is keeping the position for now.
Santi content to stall in guard here.
Santi trying to control but Holliday is working from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Chris Santi overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

We're going to have a standup here because Chris Santi wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.

Santi closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Holliday quickly recovers to half guard.
Santi seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Holliday does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Holliday moves into full guard.
Santi postures up.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Santi is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Santi stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Holliday swivels though and keeps the full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Chris Santi dominated that second round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Holliday gets caught napping as Santi dives in and scores a takedown. Holliday manages to retain guard.
Holliday keeping moving, preventing Santi from controlling successfully.
Santi looking to sit in guard and control but Holliday gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Santi holds on and takes a little breather.
Holliday pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Santi is keeping the position for now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Santi wants to sweep but no luck.
Santi trying to keep a closed guard but Holliday is proving a slippery customer.
Holliday wants to control from the top but Santi keeps moving.

Chris Santi has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Horrible takedown by Santi or perhaps it was just good defense by Holliday which made him look bad.
Santi misses with a hook

and Holliday counters with a single leg into guard. Santi didn't expect that.
Santi working a defensive guard here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Holliday pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Santi is keeping the position for now.
Holliday controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Santi is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Chris Santi wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Santi swings for the body but Holliday moves out of range.
Carson Holliday is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Horrible takedown by Santi or perhaps it was just good defense by Holliday which made him look bad.
Santi fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Chris Santi. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Santi defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Holliday.
Holliday walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Holliday looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Holliday keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Santi.
Santi shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Holliday as he avoids it easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Holliday 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.
Holliday passes easily into side control. Nice work.
A bit of a lull in the action. I'm sure it will pick up again soon... even if the ref has to physically pick them up and put them back on their feet.
Santi is not content to let Holliday control the position.
The referee asks Holliday politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Holliday prefers to stall for the moment though.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close third round but Carson Holliday just about did enough to take it.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Holliday fails with the takedown.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Santi.
Holliday misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Santi missing with a left hand there. Holliday was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Holliday is defended easily by Santi.
Chris Santi has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Carson Holliday.
Santi has a takedown stuffed.
Holliday slaps away a takedown attempt from Santi, before circling back to the center of the mat.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Holliday closes this distance looking for a takedown but Santi circles away.
Santi misses with an uppercut

and Holliday counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Santi's guard now.
Holliday trying to control but Santi is working from the bottom.
Holliday with a flurry of punches that miss.

Santi looking for submissions from the bottom but instead Holliday passes into half guard.
Santi is trying to get back to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Holliday wants to lay and pray for a moment but Santi keeps working.

Holliday is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Holliday wants to take a breather but Santi is having none of it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Holliday is working for a submission of some sort.
Santi is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.

Holliday is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Santi tries to get to full guard but Holliday has control of the leg.
Holliday tries to pass the half guard into mount. Santi knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Santi trying to control here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Carson Holliday dominated that fourth round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Santi fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Santi tries to score a power double leg takedown but Holliday sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Santi somewhat.
Nice sprawl there from Holliday as Santi shoots in.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Chris Santi. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Santi fails with a takedown attempt.
Holliday will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
A big right from Santi misses.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Santi gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Holliday counters with a shoot takedown. Santi fights it but they end up in guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Holliday looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Santi keeping moving, preventing Holliday from controlling successfully.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Carson Holliday hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Santi with a poor takedown

and Holliday counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Santi!
Santi is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

Holliday looking to secure an arm triangle but Santi defends it well.
Santi sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Santi tries to get to full guard but Holliday has control of the leg.

Holliday is working for a submission of some sort.
Santi wants to sweep but Holliday has passed to side control!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Holliday working away.
Holliday wants to take a breather but Santi manages to regain guard - a lesson learnt for Holliday.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Holliday trying to control the position from guard on top but Santi is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

And that's the end of the fight!
Carson Holliday comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Holliday 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Steve Montenegro scores the fight 47:48
Judge Columbo Gatti scores the fight 46:49
Judge Franklyn Lucas scores the fight 47:48

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Carson Holliday!
Carson Holliday is the new welterweight champion!