PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight kickboxing rules bout between Thiago Almeida (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Clay Diggs (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Almeida comes to the ring accompanied by "Danza Kuduro" by Don Omar. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Almeida
vs
Diggs

196 cm
18
220 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

197 cm
26
220 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

Solid boxing
Granite chin

Decent boxing
Determined

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 Los Angeles, Thiago Almeida!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Clay Diggs!
The judges for this bout are Aafke Stam, Saam Ante and Radbod Blank.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Diggs clinches with his opponent.
Diggs is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Almeida is keeping busy.
Diggs has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Almeida is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the ropes.
Diggs working hard to break the clinch.
Almeida looking to slow down the pace here.
Diggs has had enough of the clinch but Almeida keeps him there for the moment.

Diggs's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Diggs blocks a low kick nicely.
Diggs misses with a head kick.
Diggs fails with an attempt to clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Almeida throws a combination. Diggs tries to block but a couple of punches get through.

It looks like Clay Diggs has been cut.
Thiago Almeida seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Diggs moves away from the strike by Almeida.
Diggs on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Almeida. Almeida obviously looking to wear him down.
Almeida fails with an attempt to clinch.
Diggs fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Almeida scores with a spinning back kick!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Diggs tries to close the distance and clinch but Almeida swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Diggs tries to clinch but Almeida moves out of range.
Diggs is looking to clinch but Almeida is avoiding it.
A punch combination from Almeida misses.
Diggs takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Diggs throws out a leg kick but Almeida moves out of range and Diggs only half commits.
Diggs walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Almeida misses with a body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A solid leg kick lands there for Almeida.
Diggs looks winded!
Diggs takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Almeida fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Diggs manages to avoid it.
Diggs tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Almeida tries to score with a low kick but Diggs moves his leg out of the way.
Almeida tries to clinch up against the ropes, rushing in the close the distance. Diggs manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Almeida wants to clinch up but Diggs keeps it at a distance.
Diggs fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Almeida checks it well.
Almeida fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Diggs checks it well.

Diggs pushes Almeida up against the ropes in a clinch.
Almeida has had enough of the clinch but Diggs keeps him there for the moment.
Diggs can't break the clinch.
Diggs is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Almeida blocks an uppercut.
Diggs is trying to force a seperation but Almeida has the dominant position.
Almeida wants to stall.
Diggs tries to stall but Almeida uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Diggs wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Almeida prevents Diggs from breaking the clinch.
Diggs wants to stall.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Almeida.
Diggs wants to break free but Almeida has control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Almeida throws an elbow that misses.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Diggs tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Almeida's elbow.
Diggs misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Almeida.
Diggs is struggling to control the position.
A frustrated look appears on Diggs's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Almeida misses with the head strike.
Diggs is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Almeida is keeping busy.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Almeida is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.
Almeida lands an uppercut.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thiago Almeida dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Clay Diggs's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Diggs keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Diggs dodges the punch combination from Almeida.
Diggs tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Almeida wants to clinch.
Diggs takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Diggs lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Diggs.
Almeida misses with a double jab

and Diggs counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Almeida is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Diggs is defending well for now.
The referee is keeping an eye on Diggs - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Diggs looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Diggs working hard to break the clinch.

Almeida breaks from the clinch.
Diggs tries to close the distance and clinch up but Almeida swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Almeida.
Almeida tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Almeida throws a series of strikes that have Diggs backpedaling.
Almeida is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Diggs has Almeida pressed against the ropes.
Almeida avoiding damage as Diggs throws knees to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Diggs is trying to maintain a safe position but Almeida gets an underhook and turns Diggs into the ropes.
Almeida tries to break the clinch but Diggs is controlling the position.
Diggs tries to break free but Almeida pushes him back against the ropes.
Almeida working aggressively here.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A body shot lands from Almeida.
Diggs is stalling here.
Diggs wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
A frustrated look appears on Diggs's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Almeida blocks an elbow strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Diggs tries a knee to the head but Almeida blocks it.
The referee is keeping an eye on Diggs - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Almeida softening up his opponent with strikes, against the ropes.
Almeida is trying to push Diggs away but Diggs has him pressed against the ropes, so he's going nowhere.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Diggs wants to break the clinch but can't.
Almeida keeps control of Diggs as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Diggs takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Almeida.
Almeida wants to get back to striking at distance but Diggs won't allow it.
Diggs avoids the elbow strike from Almeida, against the ropes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Almeida misses with an elbow over the top.
Diggs is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Almeida is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.
Almeida is trying to force a seperation but Diggs has the dominant position.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Diggs as Almeida tries to tie him up.
Diggs tries to circle away but Almeida has him pinned against the ropes.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Almeida working hard to break the clinch.
Diggs trying to control the position but instead, Almeida has worked for underhooks and has pushed Diggs into the ropes.
Almeida tries a body shot but Diggs blocks it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Thiago Almeida will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Clay Diggs's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Diggs tries to clinch up.
Diggs tries to clinch but Almeida is having none of it.
Diggs throws a head kick but Almeida moves out of range.
Almeida fails with an attempt to clinch.
Almeida tries to clinch up.
Diggs checks the leg kick nicely there.
Diggs tries to clinch up but Almeida circles away and keeps his distance.
Diggs moves in looking to clinch but Almeida pushes him off.
Almeida throws a head kick that misses.

Diggs has Almeida up against the ropes in a clinch.
Diggs misses with a short punch on the inside.
A frustrated look appears on Almeida's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Clay Diggs seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Diggs taking a breather.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Almeida.
Almeida is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Diggs is keeping busy.
Diggs can't break the clinch.
Almeida throws an elbow but it misses.
Diggs is trying to break free.
Diggs tries to land knees in the clinch but Almeida avoids the damage to the body.
Almeida misses with a hook from the clinch.
Almeida lands with a right to the head.

That has opened up Clay Diggs's cut even more.
Diggs tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Thiago Almeida is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Diggs tries to stall but Almeida uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Diggs is trying to break the clinch but Almeida has him pressed against the ropes.
Diggs misses with a knee to the head.

Diggs breaks the clinch.
Almeida connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Almeida jabbing away but nothing is landing.

Diggs clinches.
Diggs is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Almeida is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Diggs doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
The referee is keeping an eye on Diggs - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Almeida avoiding damage as Diggs throws knees to the body.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Diggs takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
A battle for position here, against the ropes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
A frustrated look appears on Diggs's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Diggs missing with knees to the body.
Almeida tries a body shot but Diggs blocks it.
Almeida blocking some punches.
The fighters are pressed against the ropes, as the pace of the fight slows.
Almeida has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.

And that's the end of the fight!
Clay Diggs comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Almeida 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Aafke Stam scores the fight 29:28
Judge Saam Ante scores the fight 29:28
Judge Radbod Blank scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Thiago Almeida!