PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Rorion Joaquin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pascal Kraus (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Joaquin
vs
Kraus

179 cm
23
155 lbs
4 - 5 - 0

182 cm
22
145 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

Decent wrestler
Counter fighter
Likes musicals

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Rorion Joaquin!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Pascal Kraus!
The judges for this bout are Robert Twigg, Cecil Peabody and Wesley Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Joaquin shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Kraus counters with a takedown into side control.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

Kraus is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Joaquin knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Kraus landing strikes.
Kraus tries to get to his feet but Joaquin is in the middle of advancing position himself and ends up with Kraus in his guard.
Joaquin keeping moving, preventing Kraus from controlling successfully.
Joaquin lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Kraus!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kraus 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.
It looks like Joaquin is going to stand back up.
Kraus preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.
Joaquin is thwarting Kraus's attempts to control the position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Joaquin is trying to control. Kraus wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Joaquin wants to get back to his feet.

Rorion Joaquin has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.

Kraus closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Joaquin's guard.
Kraus wants to stand and escape but instead Joaquin has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.
Kraus is trying to keep Joaquin in close.
Joaquin trying to control the position from guard on top but Kraus is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kraus is adopting a defensive guard.

Joaquin decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Kraus stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Kraus wants it to stay on the feet.
Kraus fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Rorion Joaquin seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Kraus clinches up with Joaquin and pushes him back against the cage.

Kraus breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Joaquin misses with a takedown attempt - Kraus sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rorion Joaquin. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Joaquin shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Kraus counters with a single leg into guard. Joaquin didn't expect that.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Kraus is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kraus trying to control but Joaquin is working from the bottom.
Kraus passes Joaquin's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Kraus frees up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
Kraus wants to take Joaquin's back but he can't do it this time.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kraus is looking to stand but Kraus has his arms wrapped tightly around him, looking to prevent the damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pascal Kraus dominated that round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Joaquin with a poor takedown

and Kraus decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Joaquin's guard.
Kraus 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.
Joaquin trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!
Kraus lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Joaquin throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.
Pascal Kraus has got the better of the ground game so far.
Kraus is looking to pass into half guard but Joaquin pushes him away with his feet and jumps on top - now Joaquin is in guard.
Kraus is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Joaquin tries to stand but Kraus is controlling from the bottom.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Joaquin trying to control the position from guard on top but Kraus is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kraus has control of Joaquin's left arm, preventing Joaquin from doing any damage.
Joaquin would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Joaquin trying to control but Kraus is working from the bottom.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.

We're going to have a standup here because Rorion Joaquin wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.

Kraus scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Kraus tries to stand but Joaquin is controlling his head.
Kraus is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Kraus is looking to take a break and control but Joaquin is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Kraus laying and praying for a moment but Joaquin takes advantage and regains half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kraus is just content to waste time from the top position. Joaquin takes advantage of the situation and regains full guard.
Kraus slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.

Kraus drops back looking for a heel hook - he quickly realises he's not going to get it but Joaquin manages to dive on top of him before he can escape and now Kraus has Joaquin in his guard.
Joaquin wants to pass the guard but Kraus is keeping the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Joaquin trying to stand up but can't free himself from Kraus's guard.
Kraus looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Kraus seems keen to control Joaquin's posture.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Joaquin trying to control the position from guard on top but Kraus is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Kraus can do anything to dispel that myth.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Joaquin looking to pass the guard.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Rorion Joaquin.
Joaquin has his takedown stuffed

and Kraus counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Kraus keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Kraus is breathing heavily.

Joaquin is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Kraus pulls his head out easily.
Joaquin moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Kraus wants to control from the top but Joaquin keeps moving.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Joaquin is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pascal Kraus showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Joaquin shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Kraus as he jumps to the side.

Kraus drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Joaquin striking off his back but it's not causing Kraus any problems.
Kraus forces his way into half guard.
Kraus wants to get back to his feet.
Kraus is controlling the pace.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kraus trying to control the action but Joaquin is working from the bottom.
Joaquin tries to kick Kraus off but Kraus keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Kraus controlling the action here.

Pascal Kraus has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Joaquin enables Kraus to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Joaquin manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Kraus wants to control from the top but Joaquin keeps moving.
Kraus is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Joaquin tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Kraus working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Joaquin keeping full guard, as Kraus tries to pass.
Kraus trying to control but Joaquin is working from the bottom.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Pascal Kraus hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Joaquin looks for a takedown but Kraus sprawls well.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Joaquin gets tackled into the cage by Kraus. Kraus maintains the clinch.
Joaquin struggles to land a body shot inside as Kraus controls his hands.
Kraus lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Kraus lands a takedown into guard.
Kraus wants to get up but he can't break Joaquin's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Kraus must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kraus loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Kraus wanted to stand there but Joaquin had control of the position.
Kraus wants to control from the top but Joaquin keeps moving.
Joaquin doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Kraus stays in close to Joaquin's body and controls the position.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Pascal Kraus.

Kraus looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Joaquin!
Sloppy strikes there by Kraus.
Joaquin is working to avoid the ground and pound but Kraus connects with a decent elbow.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kraus throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Joaquin is not content to let Kraus control the position.
Kraus working away.
Kraus trying to control the action but Joaquin is working from the bottom.

Kraus thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kraus laying and praying for a moment but Joaquin takes advantage and regains half guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Pascal Kraus comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Kraus has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Robert Twigg scores the fight 27:30
Judge Cecil Peabody scores the fight 27:30
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Pascal Kraus!