PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Hugo Azevedo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Benedict Cruz (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Azevedo comes into the arena with I'm a Soldier, I'm a Fighter blaring out of the sound system. Benedict Cruz has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Hugo Azevedo's chin.

Azevedo
vs
Cruz

185 cm
32
216 lbs
28 - 11 - 0

193 cm
30
221 lbs
18 - 11 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Heavy handed

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 28 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Hugo Azevedo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 18 - 11 - 0, fighting out of New York, Benedict Cruz!
The judges for this bout are Jeff Smith, Colin Fray and Ryoma Takatsuka.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cruz dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Azevedo. That did some damage!
Azevedo slips a straight right by Cruz.
Azevedo wants to clinch.
Cruz goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Azevedo throws a leg kick that is checked
and Cruz counters with a straight right hand.
Cruz throws a leg kick which misses Azevedo's front leg but catches the back leg as Azevedo tries to avoid it.
Cruz chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Cruz lands a nice looking kick to the body. Azevedo takes a step back to recover.
A telegraphed right hand from Cruz misses the target.
Azevedo throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Azevedo misses with an attempted mid kick.
Cruz wants to clinch but Azevedo slips to the side
and Azevedo counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Cruz lands a high kick!
Azevedo takes one on the button.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Azevedo feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Azevedo trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Azevedo stays in close to Cruz's body and controls the position.
Azevedo trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Cruz is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Azevedo regains full guard. Nicely done.
Azevedo working a defensive guard here.
Cruz would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cruz stopping the sweep attempt from Azevedo.
Cruz showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Azevedo wants to sweep here but Cruz controlling him for the moment.
Azevedo looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Benedict Cruz.
Azevedo tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Cruz swivels and escapes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cruz throws a leg kick which misses Azevedo's front leg but catches the back leg as Azevedo tries to avoid it.
Cruz dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Azevedo. That did some damage!

Azevedo shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Cruz napping and manages to drive through into side control!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Azevedo tries to score with some ground and pound. Cruz controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Cruz is not content to let Azevedo control the position.
A lull in the action here as Azevedo stalls from top position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cruz is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Azevedo is controlling him well.
Cruz takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Azevedo is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Cruz will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Azevedo creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Cruz sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Benedict Cruz will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Azevedo fails in his attempt to clinch.
Cruz checks a low kick from Azevedo.
Azevedo bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Cruz's head.
Benedict Cruz seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Azevedo takes one on the button.
Cruz fails in his attempt to clinch.
Azevedo swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Azevedo wants to clinch up but Cruz keeps it at a distance.
Cruz throws a head kick but Azevedo moves out of range.
A slapping leg kick lands for Cruz.
Azevedo throws a hook to the side of Cruz's head but Cruz sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Azevedo throws a right and a left that both miss.
Azevedo ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Cruz moves away.
Azevedo avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A good leg kick by Cruz.
Azevedo just misses with a punch to the body.
Cruz throws a quick inside leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cruz fails with an attempt to clinch.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Cruz.
Azevedo punishes Cruz's body with a nice straight punch.
Azevedo keeps the fight on the outside.
Azevedo tries to score a power double leg takedown but Cruz sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Azevedo somewhat.
Azevedo misses with a body shot.
Azevedo throws a leg kick that misses.
Azevedo checks a leg kick.
Azevedo moves out of range as Cruz strikes.
Cruz slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Cruz checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Cruz buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cruz connects with a body shot that sends Azevedo's belly button to the back.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Cruz connects with a high kick.
Cruz chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Azevedo displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Cruz throws out the jab.
Cruz checks the leg kick.
Azevedo is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Cruz throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Cruz tries to close the distance and clinch but Azevedo swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Cruz fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Azevedo is looking to wear down Cruz with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Decent striking displayed by Azevedo there.
A jab from Cruz misses.
Cruz fails with an attempt to clinch.

Cruz gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Azevedo to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Cruz looking to control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Azevedo wants to control from the top but Cruz keeps moving.
Azevedo tries to free his leg and advance position but Cruz is retaining full guard.
Azevedo trying to control the position from guard on top but Cruz is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Azevedo pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Cruz is keeping the position for now.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Azevedo loads up on a big right hand but Cruz slips the punch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cruz connects with a body shot that sends Azevedo's belly button to the back.
Azevedo throws a low kick but Cruz avoids it.
Azevedo misses with a shot to the body
and Cruz counters with a thumping low kick.
Cruz thows a body kick. Azevedo tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Azevedo uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Cruz has time to react.
Cruz wants to clinch up but Azevedo keeps it at a distance.
Cruz looks to land a left hand but Azevedo moved out of range nicely.
A looping hook to the body misses from Cruz. Azevedo does a little dance to reset his feet.
Azevedo dips to his left and cracks Cruz with an uppercut!
Azevedo digs a good hook to Cruz's body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Azevedo throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Cruz lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Cruz connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Benedict Cruz showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

A looping hook to the body misses from Azevedo. Cruz does a little dance to reset his feet.
Azevedo checks a low kick from Cruz.
Azevedo misses with a jab, cross combination.
Cruz scores with a sloppy right hand. Azevedo should have avoided that one.
Cruz throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Azevedo counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Cruz swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Azevedo just misses with a punch to the body.
Azevedo misses with a looping left.
Cruz lands a front kick.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Azevedo.
Cruz thumps Azevedo with a low kick.
Azevedo wants to clinch up but Cruz keeps it at a distance.
Azevedo tries to clinch there but Cruz circles away.
Azevedo rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Cruz counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cruz turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Azevedo tries to clinch but Cruz moves out of range.
Azevedo drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Azevedo throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Cruz's waist but Cruz gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Azevedo off to one side.
Azevedo avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Cruz lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Cruz throws the left hand but Azevedo avoids the punch easily.
Cruz lands a lovely overhand right.

Cruz clinches up against the cage.
Cruz misses with a hook to the ribs.
Azevedo blocking some punches.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A body shot lands from Cruz.
A right hook to the body lands for Azevedo.
Cruz is pressed up against the cage. Azevedo has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Cruz down to the mat. Cruz avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Hugo Azevedo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Hugo Azevedo. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cruz looks to throw the jab but Azevedo is out of range.
Cruz lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Azevedo misses with a head kick.
A shot to the body from Azevedo misses

and Cruz counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Cruz.
Cruz with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Azevedo's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Cruz has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
A head punch on the inside from Cruz fails to land.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Cruz creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Azevedo wants to break free but Cruz has control.
Cruz looking to stall.
Azevedo is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Azevedo seems a little flustered. He's come in with the intention of controlling the clinch but Cruz is preventing him from doing so, at least for the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Azevedo misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Cruz trying to stall but Azevedo improves his position.
Azevedo has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Cruz avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Cruz scores with a shot to the side of Azevedo's head.
Azevedo tries to pull guard but Cruz forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Cruz fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Cruz pushes Azevedo back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Cruz throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Azevedo scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Azevedo misses with a body punch.
Cruz tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.

Cruz breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Cruz connects with a body shot.
Cruz fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Azevedo has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Benedict Cruz is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Cruz takes the fight into the clinch.
Cruz lands a body punch in the clinch.
Cruz scores with a hook to the body.
Cruz lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Cruz prevents a takedown attempt there.
Cruz lands a nice knee to the body.
Cruz throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Azevedos head.
Cruz stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Cruz obliges.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Cruz with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.

Azevedo is rocked!
A short body shot lands from Cruz as the two fighters clinch.
Oh Azevedo is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Cruz lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Cruz jerks Azevedo's head down, straight into the path of a devastating knee! Azevedo drops to the floor in a crumpled heap! Cruz goes to throw a finishing haymaker but pulls out - good sportsmanship from Cruz because Azevedo was completely out of it. That was a nice finish - just the right level of brutality to send everyone home happy.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:58 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Knee). Benedict Cruz!
A relieved looking Benedict Cruz thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.