PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Ilya On (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dominick Cruz (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The key to victory for Ilya On has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

On
vs
Cruz

182 cm
24
151 lbs
4 - 0 - 0

173 cm
21
135 lbs
4 - 4 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
Prefers standup

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the featherweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Ilya On!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Dominick Cruz!
The judges for this bout are Paulsen Ambrosius, Albert Achterberg and Paul Aken.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
On lands a jab to the head.
Some wild striking there from On.
A jab from On misses.
On throws a series of strikes that have Cruz backpedaling.
On thuds a left hand into Cruz's body.
On throws a series of punches but Cruz moves out of range.
On throws a hook but Cruz blocks it.
Cruz uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from On.
On lands a jab-cross combination.
Cruz uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from On.
On really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
On cracks Cruz with an open hand slap.

Cruz gets a takedown into half guard.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.

On actively working from the bottom here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cruz passes the guard and advances to mount!
On is working to get back to half guard.

Cruz is going oldschool here, as he tries to force On to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so On shrugs it off.
On tries to reverse the position but Cruz maintains control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Cruz is working for a guillotine from mount but On frees his head quite easily.
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.
On is wriggling around trying to escape.

Cruz is working for a guillotine from mount but On frees his head quite easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
On regains half guard.

On looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
On gets back to full guard.

On has an omoplata and is looking to use it perhaps as a submission or perhaps to transition. Cruz is in a bit of discomfort here, but he's managed to free himself and has dived into side control! That didn't work out too well for On.
On is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but Cruz is one step ahead and moves to full mount!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cruz prevents On from getting the reversal.

On defends a decent attempt at a guillotine from Cruz.
On is working to get back to half guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ilya On dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Cruz looking to score a takedown here. On is defending well but Cruz drives through and ends up in On's guard.
Cruz must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

On is looking for a triangle here but Cruz uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.
On trying to control but Cruz flips him over like a cheap hooker and has his back!
Cruz gets his hands free as On looks to control.

On is staying cool under pressure, defending well against the rear naked choke attempt from his opponent.
On trying to control the hands but Cruz won't let him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cruz doesn't have the hooks in and On manages to turn into his guard.
Dominick Cruz has got the better of the ground game so far.

On drops back looking for a heel hook - he quickly realises he's not going to get it but Cruz manages to dive on top of him before he can escape and now On has Cruz in his guard.
Cruz passes On's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Cruz passes to side control.
On tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Cruz wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cruz has knee on belly and moves into mount.
On really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
On is working hard here to advance position.
On regains half guard.
On won't allow Cruz to pass to mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

On with the active half guard here but Cruz passes nicely into side control.
Cruz moves into full mount!
On bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!

On drops back, looking for a kneebar! Cruz looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Cruz looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Cruz!
On manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!

That's four minutes gone in the round.

On looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
On prevents Cruz from improving his position.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
On is stalling here. Cruz is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! On seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Cruz has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dominick Cruz showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Back to the action!

Cruz takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Cruz takes one to the side of the head.
Cruz blocks a jab.
Cruz shoots in looking for a takedown but On manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Cruz's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
On throws a series of punches but Cruz avoids them all with ease.
A left lands for On.
On misses with a body shot.
Ilya On is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
On bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Cruz's head backwards.
On throws out a powerful jab.
On is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
On misses with a jab, cross combination.
On lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by On.

That's one minute gone in the round.
On tries to bum rush Cruz with a series of wild strikes but Cruz uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
On lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Cruz circles away quickly and effectively.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
On throws a combination that misses

and Cruz counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for On!

Cruz has hold of On's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and On manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.

Cruz wants to finish this one by submission but On is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from Cruz.

Cruz is going oldschool here, as he tries to force On to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so On shrugs it off.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
On is wriggling around trying to escape.

Cruz looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.

Cruz wants to finish this one by submission but On is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from Cruz.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
On sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.

Cruz moves into side control, avoiding a weak kimura attempt from On.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
On looks to move to half guard but instead Cruz has passed into mount! Damn!
On tries to reverse the position but Cruz maintains control.
On tries to hold on but Cruz postures up.
On can't escape the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Cruz has control of On's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and On regains control of the situation pretty easily.

Cruz looking to secure an arm triangle but On defends it well.
On bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Cruz keeping moving, preventing On from controlling successfully.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close third round but Dominick Cruz 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.

On bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Cruz's head.
On lands a jab to the nose.
Cruz walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
On with a nice cross.
On swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Nice cross by On.
A combination from On does no damage.
Sloppy strikes from On. Those never looked like landing.
On uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Cruz has time to react.
On falls off balance throwing a combination

and Cruz counters with a nice double leg into side control. On won't be happy with that.

That's one minute gone in the round.
On tries to bench press Cruz off him but Cruz keeps the position.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
On looking for a sweep but Cruz has passed into full mount! Oh no!
On wants to control but Cruz is having none of it.
On gets back to half guard.
Cruz passes the guard and advances to mount!
On is wriggling around trying to escape.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Cruz is going oldschool here, as he tries to force On to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so On shrugs it off.
On is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
On sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Cruz is looking to advance position but On won't allow it.
On wants to get back to full guard.
Cruz passes the half guard and he's now in mount! Big trouble for On!
On is wriggling around trying to escape.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
On regains half guard.
Cruz is thwarting On's attempts to control the position.

Cruz is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
On manages to get to full guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

On throws his legs up looking for a submission but Cruz uses it to pass to side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ilya On had his way with Dominick Cruz in that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the ring so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

On fails to land with a series of punches.

Cruz gets a double leg takedown into On's guard.

On isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. Cruz stacks On 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 Cruz!
On tries to slip a leg under to move to half guard but Cruz presses down on the leg and jumps into full mount!
On sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
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.
On is trying to control but Cruz passes into side control!

That's one minute gone in the round.
On tries to improve position but can't.
On is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.

On looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
On is looking for a sweep. Cruz is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
On tries to regain full guard. Instead though, Cruz has advanced to mount. Uh oh.

Cruz looking to secure an arm triangle but On defends it well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
On can't escape the position.

Cruz looking for a guillotine from mount but On is having none of it.
On keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
On wants to control but Cruz is having none of it.

Cruz looking to secure an arm triangle but On defends it well.
On really trying hard to get back to half guard here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Cruz is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. On can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
On is desperately trying to improve his position but Cruz has a good base and remains in mount.
On bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
On passes Cruz's left leg - he's now in half guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

On is looking for a kimura but Cruz is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for On to get the leverage.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Ilya On.
I think On has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Paulsen Ambrosius scores the fight 48:47
Judge Albert Achterberg scores the fight 48:47
Judge Paul Aken scores the fight 49:47

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ilya On!
Ilya On is the new featherweight champion!