PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between John McClane (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dante Cross (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). McClane kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genuis that is Die Hard. We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

McClane
vs
Cross

179 cm
18
217 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

175 cm
22
205 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Basic striking
Cuts easily

BJJ White Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Plays chess

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, John McClane!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Dante Cross!
The judges for this bout are Winston Howard, Donatello Bradman and Eliza Hachem.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

McClane closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Cross avoiding damage.

Cross breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Cross tries to clinch but McClane is having none of it.
McClane fails with the takedown.
Cross is looking to clinch.
Cross tries to clinch but McClane moves out of range.
Cross misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

McClane shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
McClane controlling the pace for now.
Cross is really trying hard to get back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cross is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.
McClane controlling the position easily from mount.
McClane trying to control but Cross is having none of it.
Cross is trying to stand up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
McClane controlling the position easily from mount.
Cross tries to buck McClane off but he can't manage it.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Cross can do anything to dispel that myth.
Cross looks gassed!
McClane lands a heavy elbow.
Cross is trying to stand up.
McClane landing strikes from the mount.
Cross is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
McClane controlling the pace for now.
Cross is trying to stand up.
McClane controlling from mount.
Cross is really trying hard to get back to his feet.

That's four 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.

Cross bucks up and throws McClane to the side - he's got back to his feet. Great escape!
McClane shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Cross as he jumps to the side.
McClane looks for a takedown but Cross sprawls well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for John McClane. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Cross throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
McClane shoots in but no luck this time.
Cross looks to clinch

and McClane counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Cross wants to stand and escape but McClane is having none of it.

Cross scrambles and gets back to his feet.

Cross drives through and clinches with McClane against the cage.
Cross goes for a takedown in the clinch but McClane prevents it.
Cross has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. McClane is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.

Cross breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Cross tries to clinch up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

McClane scores with a takedown into Cross's guard.

Cross scrambles and gets back to his feet.

Cross clinches up against the cage.
Cross throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but McClane blocks it with crossed arms.
Cross tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. McClane smiles and moves away.
Cross takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.

McClane closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

Cross has clasped his hands together around McClane's back... aaand, he's got a takedown into side control. Nicely done.

Cross decides to stand back up. Cross steps back and let's McClane get back to his feet.
McClane swinging wilding here.
McClane changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Cross tries to avoid it but McClane manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Cross to the ground. Cross escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
McClane lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for leaving it all in the cage!

McClane pushes Cross up against the cage in a clinch.
Cross swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Cross is breathing heavily.
Cross throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but McClane blocks it with crossed arms.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McClane drops down looking for an ankle pick but Cross pulls his leg out and moves away.
McClane lands with a nice combination. Cross backs away looking to recover.
McClane looks for a takedown but Cross sprawls well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for John McClane. That's going to take a lot out of him.
McClane throws a series of punches but Cross moves out of range.

McClane changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Cross looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Cross tries to wriggle free to get back to his feet but he's given up his back! Oops.
McClane is looking cool and calm here, just waiting for a good opportunity to attack and finish the fight from this dominant position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Cross trying to control the hands but McClane won't let him.
Cross has the hand control, trying to stop the rear naked choke.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Cross is trying escape back to his feet. He turns into his opponent's guard and eventually finds his way back to his feet.

A head kick lands from Cross that sends McClane to the canvas. McClane tries to scramble back to his feet but Cross brings him back down into side control.

McClane is rocked!

It looks like John McClane has been cut.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
McClane is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Oh McClane is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!

Cross stands up and we're back to a striking position.
McClane throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Cross.
McClane seems to have got his legs back now.
Cross stuffs the takedown.
Cross tries to clinch but McClane is having none of it.

McClane shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. McClane showed some decent athleticism there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cross is trying to stand.
McClane could do with loosing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with McClane in particular looking to stall.
Cross looks like he's trying to stand up.

Cross kicks off McClane and gets to his feet.

McClane gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Cross wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but McClane has him pressed against the cage.
Cross misses with a knee strike.

Cross is fighting off a takedown attempt but McClane is just too persistent for him and manages to trip Cross to the mat. Cross regains guard as soon as the fighters hit the mat.

Cross pushes McClane off and scrambles back to his feet.
Cross scores with a nice body kick.
John McClane is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Cross shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
McClane knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Cross on the ground.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Cross escapes and gets back to his feet.
Cross tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
McClane takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Cross tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and McClane moves into the clinch.
Cross tries to land a knee to the head but McClane blocks with his arms.
McClane fails to pull the fight into his guard.
McClane goes for a takedown in the clinch but Cross prevents it.
McClane tries to score a body lock takedown but Cross shows good agility there to stay on his feet.

Cross breaks from the clinch.
McClane avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
McClane throws a series of strikes that have Cross backpedaling.

Cross moves into range and clinches up with McClane.
McClane is looking to break free of the clinch but Cross has double underhooks.
Cross throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
McClane is working for takedown but Cross is calmly controlling the position for now.
Cross lands a damaging elbow.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dante Cross showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on John McClane's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. 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.

Cross closes the distance and clinches.
Cross tries to score a body lock takedown but McClane shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Cross is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
McClane blocks an uppercut.
McClane drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Cross misses with a knee strike.
Cross gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from McClane.
Cross is trying to break free.
Cross using the Thai plumb to throw knees but McClane has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
McClane fails to pull guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for John McClane. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Cross breaks the clinch.
McClane looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Cross is fending him off so far but McClane persists. Nope, Cross circles away and we're back to standing.

McClane shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
McClane wants to take a breather but Cross is having none of it.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Cross manages to escape and get back to his feet!

That's one minute gone in the round.
McClane avoids a punch combination nicely.
McClane wants to clinch

and Cross counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Cross.
Cross is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but McClane is keeping busy.

Cross manages to break the clinch.
Horrible takedown by McClane or perhaps it was just good defense by Cross which made him look bad.
McClane is looking to clinch.
Cross throws a push kick but McClane slaps the foot to one side.
McClane avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
McClane fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Cross throws a head kick that misses.
Cross tries to close the distance and clinch but McClane swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
McClane swats away the attempt to clinch by Cross.
Cross is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Cross throws a head kick but McClane moves out of range.
McClane shoots for a takedown but Cross saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Cross throws a push kick but McClane slaps the foot to one side.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
McClane paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Cross slips a jab and a cross from McClane.
McClane throws a right hand that Cross ducks under and follows up with a left that Cross also avoids with ease.
McClane scores with a head kick.
Cross is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
McClane avoids the head kick by Cross.
Cross tries to move into range but McClane moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Cross lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
A solid leg kick lands there for Cross.

Cross decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Cross tries to stand but his arm is trapped.

Cross stands, ready to strike. The ref makes him back up and allows McClane to get to his feet.
Cross tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Cross tries a head kick but it misses.
Cross throws a nice head kick!
Cross tries to clinch but McClane moves out of range.
Cross tries to close the distance and clinch up but McClane swats him away and circles back towards the center.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
McClane keeps the fight on the outside.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Cross!
McClane shoots for a takedown but Cross saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.

Cross drives through and clinches with McClane against the cage.
McClane blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Cross stalling in the clinch but McClane improves position.

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

McClane moves into the clinch.
Cross is looking to break free of the clinch but McClane has double underhooks.
McClane can't get the takedown.
McClane is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Cross pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Cross with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Cross gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from McClane.
Cross drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
McClane looking for a takedown.
Cross with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Cross pushes McClane back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Cross lands an elbow that stopped McClane in his tracks for a moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Cross breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Cross scores with a leg kick.
Cross throws a quick head kick that skims the top of McClane's head.

Cross fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with McClane, pushing him back against the cage.
Cross lands with a left to the head.
Cross lands a knee to the head.
Cross lands an elbow that stopped McClane in his tracks for a moment.

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

Cross looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Cross stands up from guard. Let's bang!
McClane bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Cross's head backwards.
McClane fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Cross fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

McClane instigates a clinch.
Cross working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Cross lands with a short punch from the clinch.

Cross pulls guard successfully.

Cross pushes McClane off and scrambles back to his feet.

Cross lands a head kick that stumbles McClane and the fighters go to the mat.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dante Cross comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Cross has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Winston Howard scores the fight 28:29
Judge Donatello Bradman scores the fight 28:29
Judge Eliza Hachem scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dante Cross!