PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Hickson Hooah (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sakuraba Gracie (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Gracie is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Gimme Shelter. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Hooah
vs
Gracie

190 cm
21
201 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

180 cm
23
192 lbs
4 - 4 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Self confident

BJJ Purple Belt
Basic striking
Solid chin

Hell's Balls Fightwear
MMA's Best Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Hickson Hooah!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Sakuraba Gracie!
The judges for this bout are Thiago Cunha, Mauricio Rocha and Emerson Jorge.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Hooah fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Gracie sprawls well initially but Hooah persists and gets the takedown into half guard.

Hooah is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Hooah prevents Gracie from improving his position.
Gracie slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Hooah throwing strikes from guard but Gracie blocks nicely.

Gracie looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Gracie bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Hooah's guard.
Hooah tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Hooah is trying to keep Gracie in close.
Gracie trying to control but Hooah is working from the bottom.

Hooah working for a triangle but Gracie defends it easily.
Hooah is trying to control the position but Gracie postures up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Gracie postures up.
Gracie wants to pass the guard but Hooah is keeping the position.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Hooah is looking to clinch.

Hooah shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Hooah is breathing heavily.
Gracie tries to kick Hooah off but Hooah keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
The fighters are battling for position here. Gracie manages to regain full guard. Nice work.

Hooah drops back looking for a leg! Gracie is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Gracie manages to kick Hooah off! Hooah jumps back into Gracie's guard.

Gracie is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hooah fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Gracie prevents the takedown attempt.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Gracie.
Gracie pushes Hooah back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.

Hooah drags the fight down to the ground.
Gracie lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Gracie stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Hooah swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Gracie passes Hooah's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Gracie is looking to take a break and control but Hooah is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Hooah wants to improve his position but Gracie is controlling well.
Hooah trying to control here.
Gracie is keen to just control but Hooah is a slippery customer.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Hooah looking for submissions off his back.
Gracie scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Gracie looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Gracie scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Gracie works his foot free and advances to mount.
Gracie cracks Hooah with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.

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

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hooah tries to get to full guard but Gracie has control of the leg.
Gracie scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Gracie landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Gracie working Hooah over with strikes.

Hooah looking for submissions off his back.
Gracie is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Hooah tries to roll over but Gracie keeps him under control.
Gracie is looking to take a break and control but Hooah is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Gracie lands with a punch from half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sakuraba Gracie dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Gracie scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Gracie missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

Hooah looking for submissions off his back.
Gracie scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Gracie tries to pass to full mount but Hooah defends it.
Gracie has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Gracie throwing shots but Hooah is blocking nicely.

Hooah is looking to sinch up a gullotine here but Gracie pulls his head out easily.
Ground and pound from Gracie.
Hooah taking some punishment here, with Gracie in his half guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Gracie thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Hooah's head.
Gracie passes the guard and advances to mount!
Gracie has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Hooah's face.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hooah manages to regain half guard. Good work.
Hooah wants to control but Gracie is keeping busy.
Gracie looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Gracie looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Hooah with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Gracie prevents Hooah from standing back up.
Gracie lands with a punch from half guard.
Gracie lands with a punch from half guard.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Gracie connects with a nice short shot to Hooah's temple.
Hooah gets full guard.
Gracie working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Hooah keeping full guard, as Gracie tries to pass.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Hooah works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

Gracie avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Gracie postures up and lands a big shot to Hooah's brow.
Hooah not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Sakuraba Gracie has got the better of the ground game so far.
Gracie trying to control but Hooah is working from the bottom.
Hooah trying to keep a closed guard but Gracie is proving a slippery customer.
Gracie content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Gracie lands a couple of digs.
Hooah is trying to control the position but Gracie postures up.
Hooah trying to strike off his back.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.

Gracie bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Gracie landing a few strikes.
Hooah is looking for a sweep.
Gracie landing a few strikes.
The strikes coming from Gracie are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Hooah is trying to improve his position.
Hooah is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but Gracie is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
Gracie lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Gracie breaks from Hooah's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Hooah is trying desperately to improve position.
Hooah is working hard here to advance position.
Gracie working away from the top, dropping strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hooah wants to control but Gracie is having none of it.
Gracie raining down shots from the mount!
Hooah is trying to escape the mount.
Gracie raining down shots from the mount!
Hooah working to try and regain half guard.

Gracie looking to isolate an arm here. Hooah doesn't see it coming and as Gracie extends the arm, he's forced to tap out! Nice submission by Gracie!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:58 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Sakuraba Gracie!