PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Thomas Jefferson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Vitor Gracie (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the ring.

Jefferson
vs
Gracie

188 cm
27
195 lbs
7 - 0 - 0

185 cm
25
201 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Solid Muay Thai
Granite chin

Powerful takedowns
Counter striker
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the middleweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Thomas Jefferson!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Vitor Gracie!
The judges for this bout are Patrick Alders, Saam Ante and Nard Betker.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Jefferson with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Jefferson misses with a head kick.
Nice body kick there by Jefferson.
Jefferson throws a wild body kick that Gracie sees coming a mile off.
Thomas Jefferson seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Jefferson throws a leg kick that is checked
and Gracie counters with a good low kick that Jefferson was not able to check.
Jefferson throws a lazy head kick
and Gracie counters with an inside leg kick.
Gracie misses with a hook. Jefferson ducked under it nicely.
Jefferson has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Gracie.
Gracie has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Jefferson.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Jefferson throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Jefferson throws a head kick that Gracie semi-blocks.

Gracie looking to score a takedown here. Jefferson is defending well but Gracie drives through and ends up in Jefferson's guard.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Jefferson wants to improve his position but instead Gracie has moved into half guard.
Jefferson has a hand on Gracie's thigh, trying to get back to full guard. Gracie takes advantage of the position though and mounts him!
Jefferson is trying to escape the mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Jefferson is looking to improve his position but Gracie isn't that keen on the idea.
Gracie tries to push Jefferson's head away but Jefferson is holding on tight.
Jefferson is working to get back to half guard.
Jefferson wants to try and get back to his feet.
Jefferson is in all sorts of trouble here.
Gracie wants to control the pace but Jefferson is squirming around nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie prevents Jefferson from getting the reversal.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.

Gracie looking for an armbar but decides to keep the dominant position instead.
Jefferson squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
Gracie unloads with some shots from mount but Jefferson bucks and avoids them well.
Jefferson really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Jefferson tries to hold on but Gracie pushes him away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jefferson can't escape the position.
Gracie wants to control the pace but Jefferson is squirming around nicely.
Jefferson is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Jefferson regains half guard.
Jefferson tries to roll over but Gracie keeps him under control.
Gracie prevents Jefferson from standing back up.
Gracie is trying to control the action in half guard but Jefferson is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Jefferson trying to control but Gracie postures up.

Gracie is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Jefferson is just riding it out for now. Gracie eventually gives up the hold.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gracie trying to control the pace.
Jefferson is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Jefferson is working hard here to advance position.
Gracie stops Jefferson from getting back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thomas Jefferson dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Gracie misses with a kick to the body.
Jefferson pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Gracie fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Jefferson avoids it really well and circles away.
Gracie throws a front kick aimed at Jefferson's knee but Jefferson avoids it well.
A thudding body kick lands there by Jefferson!
Nice takedown defense from Jefferson. No joy for Gracie on that attempt.
Jefferson thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Gracie if he has to take too many more of those.
Jefferson throws a head kick but Gracie moves out of range.
Jefferson throws a sloppy head kick and Gracie moves out of range easily.
Jefferson thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Gracie if he has to take too many more of those.
Jefferson lands a head kick. Gracie smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Gracie is breathing heavily.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Gracie has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Jefferson.
Gracie avoids a kick to the body.
Thomas Jefferson is winning the standup battle so far.
Gracie tries to score a power double leg takedown but Jefferson sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Gracie somewhat.
Thomas Jefferson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Vitor Gracie.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jefferson throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Gracie makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Jefferson really felt that one!
A head kick misses from Jefferson.
Gracie chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Jefferson can pounce on him.
Jefferson scores with a kick to the body.
Jefferson throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Jefferson.
Jefferson throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Jefferson looks to land a body kick but Gracie moved away.
A head kick misses from Jefferson.
Jefferson throws a wild body kick that Gracie sees coming a mile off.
Jefferson throws a head kick but Gracie moves out of range.
Jefferson blocks the body kick.
A head kick misses from Jefferson.
Gracie shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Jefferson as he jumps to the side.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jefferson avoids the head kick by Gracie.
Jefferson lands with a kick to the ribs.
Thomas Jefferson is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Jefferson throws a sloppy head kick and Gracie moves out of range easily.
Gracie will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Gracie misses the shot to the body.
Jefferson throws a nice head kick!
Jefferson lands a head kick. Gracie smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Jefferson misses with an attempted mid kick.
Jefferson slaps away a takedown attempt from Gracie, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Jefferson misses with a body kick.
Gracie dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Jefferson. That did some damage!
Gracie with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jefferson looks to land a body kick but Gracie moved away.
Jefferson looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Jefferson throws a head kick that misses.
Jefferson throws a sloppy head kick and Gracie moves out of range easily.
Jefferson throws a head kick but Gracie moves out of range.

Gracie scores with a takedown into Jefferson's guard.
Jefferson is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Gracie pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Jefferson is keeping the position for now.
Gracie trying to control the position from guard on top but Jefferson is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jefferson is wriggling around but Gracie manages to pass to half guard.
Jefferson looks like he's trying to stand up.
Jefferson is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Gracie throwing shots but Jefferson is blocking nicely.
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.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thomas Jefferson dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Jefferson misses with a head kick.
Jefferson tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A head kick misses from Jefferson.
Gracie misses with a kick to the body.
A chopping leg kick lands by Jefferson.
Jefferson tries a head kick but it misses.
Gracie blocks a low kick nicely.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Gracie.
Gracie gets to mount! Jefferson was on the offensive and wasn't defending properly.
Jefferson can't escape the position.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jefferson is trying to stand but he's not in a good position to be doing that! Gracie has taken his back!

Gracie has his opponent's back and is working for the choke.
Jefferson avoids the strikes from Gracie.

Gracie has his opponent's back and is working for the choke.
Gracie is hanging on to Jefferson's back as he tries to escape.
Gracie avoiding Jefferson 's attempts to control his hands.
Vitor Gracie has got the better of the ground game so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Gracie is persistently looking for the submission but Jefferson is defending it well.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Gracie avoiding Jefferson 's attempts to control his hands.
I really don't envy Jefferson right now.

Gracie working for a RNC but it's not happening just yet.
Jefferson trying to control the hands but Gracie won't let him.
The crowd hopeful of a finish here - Gracie's supporters are on their feet, screaming for him to go for the rear naked choke.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jefferson needs to remain patient if he's going to get out of this sticky situation.

Jefferson preventing the rear naked choke attempt from Gracie.
Gracie throwing damaging strikes from the back! Jefferson could be in trouble here!
Jefferson is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.
Well, with Gracie on his back, surely it's only a matter of time before Jefferson is tapping out... Can he escape the position?
Jefferson trying to control the hands but Gracie won't let him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gracie controlling well, preventing Jefferson from escaping the position.
Jefferson is trying to get back to his feet but Gracie has full control of the position and if anything, Jefferson has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Jefferson is trying to break free.
Gracie scores with a nice shot to the head of his opponent. Jefferson is looking for a way out.
Jefferson looking very determined here, making life difficult for Gracie.
I really don't envy Jefferson right now.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Jefferson trying to control the action but Gracie just sinks the hooks in.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vitor Gracie really dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Gracie tries a head kick but it misses.
Jefferson moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Jefferson throws a sloppy head kick and Gracie moves out of range easily.
Gracie misses with an attempted mid kick.
Jefferson throws a wild body kick that Gracie sees coming a mile off.
Gracie blocks the body kick.
Jefferson tries a head kick but it misses.
Jefferson looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Jefferson looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Jefferson throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
A head kick misses from Gracie.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.

Gracie closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Gracie lands in his opponent's guard.
Gracie missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Gracie drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Gracie jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Gracie trying to control the position from guard on top but Jefferson is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Jefferson seems keen to control Gracie's posture.
Gracie pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Jefferson is keeping the position for now.
Jefferson utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Jefferson not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jefferson looking to hit a scissor sweep but Gracie is one step ahead there.
Jefferson preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Jefferson has his hands on Gracie's head, controlling the position.
Jefferson wants to get back to his feet but Gracie passes into half guard.
Jefferson has his hands clasped together around Gracie's back. He's all about the action.
Jefferson trying to control here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Thomas Jefferson wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Gracie throws a leg kick but Jefferson moved away.
Jefferson looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Jefferson throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Jefferson thows a body kick. Gracie tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Jefferson gets off balance looking for a body kick
and Gracie makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Jefferson stuffs the takedown attempt from Gracie. Gracie gets slowly back to his feet.
Jefferson misses with a head kick.
Jefferson throws a leg kick that is checked
and Gracie counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Thomas Jefferson is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Jefferson throws a sloppy head kick and Gracie moves out of range easily.

Gracie manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Jefferson on his heels. He'll look to pass Jefferson's guard now, I'm sure.
Gracie preventing the sweep.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gracie trying to control the position from guard on top but Jefferson is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Jefferson is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Jefferson is trying to control the position from the bottom.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Gracie passes Jefferson's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Jefferson wants to control but Gracie is keeping busy and won't allow it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close fourth round but I would say that Thomas Jefferson will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Jefferson slaps away a takedown attempt from Gracie, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Gracie has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Jefferson.
Jefferson misses with an attempted mid kick.
Gracie moves out of range of the body kick.
Jefferson gets off balance looking for a body kick

and Gracie counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Jefferson's guard now.
Jefferson wants to sweep here but Gracie controlling him for the moment.
Gracie throwing strikes from guard but Jefferson blocks nicely.
Jefferson is pulling down on Gracie's head to control his posture.
Gracie working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Gracie is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jefferson looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Jefferson is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

Jefferson isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. Gracie stacks Jefferson on his neck as he steps over and passes to the side. He's now in a much more dominant position where he can look to do some serious damage. Nice move by Gracie!
Jefferson knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Gracie on the ground.
You can see the frustration on Jefferson's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Jefferson stops Gracie from passing to mount.
Gracie trying to control the action but Jefferson is working from the bottom.
Jefferson is trying to get back to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie scoring with punches from side control.
Gracie trying to control the position but Jefferson is working away.
Jefferson is looking for a sweep.

Gracie tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Jefferson wants to get back to his feet but Gracie is dominant here and he's now got Jefferson's back!
Jefferson has the hand control, trying to stop the rear naked choke.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Good control from Gracie.
Jefferson controlling the position well but he knows he's in a bad position.
You can see the frustration on Jefferson's face… He knows he is in trouble unless he improves his position sooner rather than later.

Gracie has managed to slip his arm under Jefferson's chin. This could be all over... yep, Jefferson is tapping out! Submission win for Gracie.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:53 of round 5, we have a winner by way of Submission (RNC). Vitor Gracie!
Vitor Gracie is the new middleweight champion!
A relieved looking Vitor Gracie thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.