PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between John Kruger (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Xavier Gracie (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Kruger comes into the arena with Tnt blaring out of the sound system. Gracie has chosen When I'm Sixty-Four- The Beatles as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Xavier Gracie has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Kruger
vs
Gracie

187 cm
29
197 lbs
13 - 4 - 0

191 cm
30
196 lbs
11 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
Solid boxing
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Basic striking
Solid chin

Vandal Fight Boutique & Laundry

Damnfield clothing

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the middleweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 13 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, John Kruger!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Xavier Gracie!
The judges for this bout are Arvi Lind, Tarja Halkonen and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kruger waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Gracie.
Kruger throws a leg kick which misses Gracie's front leg but catches the back leg as Gracie tries to avoid it.
Gracie misses with a takedown attempt
and Kruger counters with a right hand to the body.
Gracie slips under a jab.
Kruger stuffs the takedown.
Gracie throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Kruger's waist but Kruger gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Gracie off to one side.
John Kruger has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Xavier Gracie.
Kruger misses with a straight right.
Kruger misses with a hook. Gracie ducked under it nicely.
Kruger misses with a low kick.
Xavier Gracie seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
The fight stays on the outside here - Gracie looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Gracie tries to clinch up.
Kruger looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.

Gracie fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Kruger, pushing him back against the cage.
Kruger presses Gracie against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kruger tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Gracie's elbow.
Gracie is trying to drag Kruger to the mat but Kruger just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Kruger breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Kruger slaps away a takedown attempt from Gracie, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Kruger goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Kruger throws a lazy right hand but Gracie sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Gracie fails in his attempt to clinch.
Kruger keeps the fight on the outside.
Gracie slips a jab from Kruger.
John Kruger is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Gracie shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Gracie was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Gracie trying to control the action but Kruger is working from the bottom.

Gracie goes for an armbar here - this could be all over! But no, Kruger has escaped beautifully and is now on top in side control! Oh, that's unlucky for Gracie but great work by Kruger.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kruger sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Gracie is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Kruger advances to full mount.
Gracie is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Kruger working for a guillotine from mount but Gracie is in no mood to give up.
Gracie is trying desperately to improve position.
Kruger scores with a couple of good head shots there.

Kruger is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Gracie can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
Gracie is wriggling around trying to escape.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kruger dominating with strikes here.
Gracie wants to hold on but Kruger pushes him away.
Kruger pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Kruger trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Kruger looking to finish Gracie with some ground and pound. This is bad for Gracie!
The referee warns Gracie that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.

Kruger is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Gracie is surviving well by controlling Kruger's body position as best he can.
Kruger punishing his opponent with strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Kruger working Gracie over with strikes here.
Kruger looking to control and managing it successfully.
A nice elbow there by Kruger.

Kruger is looking to secure an arm. He's managed it! He's pivoting for an armbar - that looks tight! But Gracie has managed to get out of it and now he's in a dominant position. Nice work from Gracie!

Kruger has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Gracie can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Gracie looking to pass the guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Kruger controlling the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Kruger dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Gracie is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Kruger fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Gracie has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Kruger ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Gracie moves away.
Sloppy strikes from Gracie. Those never looked like landing.
Gracie looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Kruger is fending him off so far but Gracie persists. Nope, Kruger circles away and we're back to standing.
Kruger connects with a leg kick. Gracie looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Kruger darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Gracie ducks under a wild hook from Kruger.
Gracie changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Kruger tries to avoid it but Gracie manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Kruger to the ground. Kruger escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Gracie misses with a body punch
and Kruger counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Kruger lands with a thumping leg kick.
Gracie tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Kruger paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Kruger misses with a body shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Kruger ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Gracie moves away.
Kruger circles away from the clinch attempt.
Gracie's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Kruger connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Gracie scrambles back to his feet.
Gracie takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Gracie misses with a takedown
and Kruger counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
John Kruger has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Xavier Gracie.
Gracie closes the distance looking to clinch
and Kruger counters with a straight right hand.
Kruger buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Kruger throws a nice outside leg kick.
Kruger connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nice defenses there by Gracie.
John Kruger is winning the standup battle so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie fails in his attempt to clinch.
Kruger cracks a nice hook into Gracie's ribs.
Gracie tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Kruger counters with a slapping leg kick.
Kruger scores with a jab to the body.
Gracie fails with an attempt to clinch.
Gracie checks a leg kick nicely.
Gracie's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Kruger cracks a nice hook into Gracie's ribs.
Gracie shoots and misses
and Kruger counters with an outside leg kick.
Gracie is breathing heavily.
Gracie shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Kruger cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Gracie tries to clinch there but Kruger circles away.
Kruger with a jab.
Kruger ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gracie is looking to clinch.
Kruger digs a good hook to Gracie's body.
Gracie with a lazy takedown attempt
and Kruger counters with a stiff right hand.
Nice defenses there by Kruger.
Gracie uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Kruger.
Kruger wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Kruger scores with a sloppy right hand. Gracie should have avoided that one.
Kruger fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Gracie has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Kruger fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Gracie has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Gracie takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Kruger lands a leg kick that knocks Gracie off balance momentarily.
Gracie has his takedown stuffed
and Kruger counters with a nice low kick that buckles Gracie's knee momentarily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kruger circles away from the clinch attempt
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Gracie gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Kruger.
Gracie moves out of range as Kruger strikes.
Gracie tries to close the distance and clinch but Kruger swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Kruger jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.

Gracie is rocked!
Gracie is holding his hands too far apart here. Kruger throws a hard, straight punch right down the pipe and BOOM! Gracie is out! That punch landed square on the jaw - what a shot!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:40 of round 2, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). John Kruger!
John Kruger retains his middleweight title!
An out of breath John Kruger thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.