PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Saiquin Raven (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rocky Balboa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Balboa has chosen Gonna Fly Now as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Rocky Balboa is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Raven
vs
Balboa

170 cm
19
141 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

195 cm
22
142 lbs
2 - 6 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Brawler
Knockout power

Slaughterhouse Threads

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Saiquin Raven!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Rocky Balboa !
The judges for this bout are Donatello Bradman, Hugh Johnson and Skip Squint.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Balboa shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Raven but Raven pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Raven with a poor takedown

and Balboa counters with a takedown into side control.
Raven is trying to control Balboa 's posture but Balboa avoids it.
Raven is looking to reverse the position.
An elbow from Balboa crashes against the mat.
Raven keeping his opponent close.
Raven tries to buck Balboa off but Balboa is having none of it.
Balboa wants to stand but Raven has his arm trapped.
Raven is being controlled here.
Balboa trying to control the position but Raven is working away.
Balboa is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Raven wants to control but Balboa postures up.
A bit of a lull in the action here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Raven sneaks back into half guard.
Raven moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Raven has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Raven trying to control the position.
Raven looking for a sweep. Not yet Raven, not yet.
Balboa wants to stand but Raven is controlling his posture from full guard.
Raven trying to keep a closed guard but Balboa is proving a slippery customer.

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.
Balboa being controlled here momentarily.
Raven has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Raven is on top in guard.
Raven slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Raven trying to control the action but Balboa is working from the bottom.

The referee stands the fighters back up. Saiquin Raven just wasn't active enough from the dominant position.
Balboa doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Raven counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Raven.
Balboa looks gassed!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balboa keeping full guard, as Raven tries to pass.
Raven controlling from the top position.
Balboa looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Raven controls from within his opponent's guard.
Raven wants to control from the top but Balboa keeps moving.
Raven sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Raven trying to control the position from guard on top but Balboa is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's four 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.
Raven stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Balboa swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Raven sitting in guard here, content to control.

The referee stands the fighters back up. Saiquin Raven just wasn't active enough from the dominant position.
Balboa misses with a takedown attempt

and Raven counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Saiquin Raven has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Rocky Balboa .
Raven slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Balboa controls Raven momentarily but Raven frees himself.
Raven is fighting to break Balboa 's control of his arms but Balboa is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Saiquin Raven dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Balboa doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Raven counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Balboa !
Raven sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Balboa is in all sorts of trouble here.
Raven looking to control but Balboa is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Balboa is working to get back to half guard.
Raven tries to control but Balboa wriggling away.
Balboa is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Raven trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Saiquin Raven overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balboa is in all sorts of trouble here.
Balboa is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Raven tries to control but Balboa wriggling away.
Balboa is looking to improve his position but Raven isn't that keen on the idea.
Raven controlling his opponent.

That's two 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.
Raven trying to control but he's not successful this time.

The referee stands the fighters back up. Saiquin Raven just wasn't active enough from the dominant position.
Raven shoots and misses
and Balboa counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

Balboa clinches up against the cage.

Balboa breaks from the clinch.
Raven tries for a takedown but Balboa circles away easily

and Balboa counters with a shoot takedown. Raven fights it but they end up in guard.
Balboa must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Balboa trying to control but Raven is working from the bottom.
Raven might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Raven looking to hit a scissor sweep but Balboa is one step ahead there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balboa pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Raven is keeping the position for now.
Raven looking to control.
Balboa trying to control the position from guard on top but Raven is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Balboa is looking to stand up but Raven won't let him.
Raven trying to control the position.
Balboa trying to control but Raven is working from the bottom.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Raven doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.

Balboa scores a takedown into full mount!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balboa controlling the pace for now.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Balboa lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Raven tries to hold on but Balboa postures up.
Balboa cracks Raven with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Raven working to try and regain half guard.
Balboa wants to control the pace but Raven is squirming around nicely.
Balboa scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Raven?
Raven taking shots to the head.
Balboa wants to control the pace but Raven is squirming around nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rocky Balboa showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Balboa misses with a few strikes there.
Balboa moves in looking to clinch but Raven pushes him off.

Balboa changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Raven looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Raven tries to improve position but can't.
Balboa wants to lay and pray for a moment but Raven keeps working.
Raven manages to get back to half guard.
Raven has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Balboa is working away from the top position though.
Balboa not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Raven trying to control here.
Raven is looking to improve his position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Raven stuffs the takedown attempt from Balboa . Balboa gets slowly back to his feet.
Raven misses with a takedown
and Balboa counters with a body kick that stops Raven in his tracks momentarily.

Raven scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Raven trying to control the action but Balboa is working from the bottom.
Balboa tries to bench press Raven off him but Raven keeps the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balboa is not content to let Raven control the position.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Balboa can do anything to dispel that myth.
Raven is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
Raven is looking to take a break and control but Balboa is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
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.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Raven tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Raven avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Raven gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Balboa counters with a takedown into side control.
Raven holding on.
Balboa working away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Raven tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Balboa wants to stand but Raven is controlling his arm.
You can see the frustration on Raven's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
You can see the frustration on Raven's face as Balboa controls the position.
Balboa in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
Balboa sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Raven is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Raven shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Balboa as he jumps to the side.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Saiquin Raven. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Balboa tries for a takedown but Raven circles away easily

so Raven counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Raven postures up.
Raven trying to control but Balboa is working from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Rocky Balboa .
I think Balboa 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 Donatello Bradman scores the fight 28:29
Judge Hugh Johnson scores the fight 28:29
Judge Skip Squint scores the fight 29:29

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Rocky Balboa !