PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Tomi Atomi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Conan Cross (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Atomi might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Stratovarius - Abyss Of Your Eyes. Tomi Atomi has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Atomi
vs
Cross

191 cm
32
176 lbs
25 - 6 - 1

174 cm
28
158 lbs
14 - 6 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Milwaukee's Best 160
Merciless Gladiators

Meet the Future

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 25 - 6 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Tomi Atomi!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 14 - 6 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Conan Cross!
The judges for this bout are Chad Campbell, Jorge Garcia and Anthony Taglia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Atomi throws a body kick that misses
and Cross cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Cross cracks Atomi with a right hand to the side of the head.
Atomi scores with a nice strike.
Atomi takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Cross moves away from the strike by Atomi.
Atomi throws a big shot that misses.
Atomi turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Atomi takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Cross loads up on a big right hand but Atomi slips the punch.
Atomi keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Atomi attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Atomi takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Cross looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Cross throws a head kick that misses

and Atomi counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Cross!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Cross struggling a bit here.
Cross has found himself in a tricky position here. He's been working his transitions in training so let's see if he can work his way out of it.
Atomi misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Cross tries to buck Atomi off but Atomi is having none of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cross dodges the ground and pound from Atomi.

Atomi is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Cross is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Atomi fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Cross is trying to control Atomi's posture but Atomi avoids it.
Atomi wants to lay and pray for a moment but Cross keeps working.
Cross avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Atomi.

Atomi looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Cross is trying to improve his position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cross takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.
Cross manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!

Atomi looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Atomi is refusing to be controlled, as Cross sits in half guard.
Atomi has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Cross is working away from the top position though.
Atomi is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Cross scores with a couple of nice shots.
Atomi wants to control but Cross is keeping busy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Atomi is staying active underneath Cross, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

Atomi looking for subs from the bottom but Cross mounts him!
Atomi tries to reverse the position but Cross maintains control.
Cross connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Cross sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Cross scoring with strikes but Atomi is staying in there.
Atomi is squirming around, avoiding Cross's attempts to control the action.
Atomi tries to hold on but Cross pushes him away.
Atomi is wriggling around trying to escape.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cross tries to control but Atomi wriggling away.
Atomi regains half guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Cross seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Atomi wants to get back to full guard but Cross has mounted him!
Cross wants to control the pace but Atomi is squirming around nicely.
Atomi regains half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Atomi wants to get back to full guard.
Cross missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Cross working Atomi over with strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Conan Cross will probably get the nod.
That's time! Atomi's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Atomi lands a nice looking body kick.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Cross.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Cross.
Atomi throws a shot from downtown. Cross moves away and avoids it.
Cross goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Atomi avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Atomi throws a jab but it's blocked by Cross.
Cross fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Atomi checks it well.
Atomi is looking to slow Cross down with leg kicks.
Atomi tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Cross was well out of range. Poor timing from Atomi.
Conan Cross seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Atomi tries a head kick but it misses.
Atomi cracks a nice hook into Cross's ribs.
Atomi missing with a left hand there. Cross was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Atomi, as that shot connected.
Atomi scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Atomi lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Cross has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Cross and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cross throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Atomi looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Atomi takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Cross throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Cross pivots, looking for a leg kick but Atomi is out of range and Cross settles back down.
Cross throws a body punch but Atomi moves out of range.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Cross, right into the meat.
Atomi pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Atomi lands a right hook to the body.
Cross stuffs the takedown.
A looping hook to the body misses from Cross. Atomi does a little dance to reset his feet.
Atomi misses with a wild body shot.
Atomi throws a leg kick
and Cross counters with a nice kick to the body.
Atomi ducks under a wild hook from Cross.
Atomi tries to land a leg kick but Cross saw it coming and moves away.
Atomi connects with a solid leg kick.
Cross lands a nice looking body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cross loads up on a big right hand but Atomi slips the punch.
Atomi blocks the body kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Atomi moves out of range of the leg kick from Cross.
Atomi lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Atomi misses with a looping left.
Cross wants to land a leg kick but Atomi is out of range.
Nice uppercut there from Atomi.
Atomi pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Cross keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.

Cross gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Cross prevents a body shot from Atomi.
Atomi doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Atomi fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Cross doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Atomi jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Cross walks away with a smile on his face. Atomi gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Conan Cross seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Atomi on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Atomi has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Atomi turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Atomi lands with a cross.
Cross looks to throw the jab but Atomi is out of range.
Atomi shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Cross as he jumps to the side.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Tomi Atomi. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Cross swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Cross throws a right and a left that both miss.
Cross closes the distance looking to clinch

and Atomi counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Atomi.
Atomi forces his way into half guard.
Cross tries to get to full guard but Atomi has control of the leg.

Atomi is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Cross defends it well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Atomi is looking to take a break and control but Cross is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Atomi will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Atomi thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Atomi passes the guard and advances to mount!
Cross tries to reverse the position but Atomi maintains control.
Atomi working away from the top, dropping strikes.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Cross is desperately trying to improve his position but Atomi has a good base and remains in mount.
Cross taking shots to the head.
Atomi throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tomi Atomi dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Cross takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Cross wants to clinch up but Atomi keeps it at a distance.
Atomi's corner calls for a 1-2. Atomi obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Atomi throws a nice outside leg kick.
Cross closes this distance looking for a takedown but Atomi circles away.
Atomi fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Cross has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Atomi misses with a body kick.
Atomi scores with a punch to the head.
Atomi throws a front kick that sends Cross stumbling back into the cage.
Cross shoots in and drives through. Atomi sprawls well.
Atomi misses with a low kick.
Some wild striking there from Cross.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Cross, right into the meat.
Cross cracks Atomi with a good jab.
Atomi is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Cross looks to land a body kick but Atomi moved away.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Cross throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Atomi was covering up waiting for the punch and Cross finishes the takedown easily into guard.
Cross preventing the sweep.
Atomi has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.

Atomi has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Cross can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Atomi has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Cross has passed into side control.
Cross connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Atomi some visible discomfort.
Atomi is trying to get back to half guard.
Atomi is working hard here to advance position.
Atomi manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Atomi tries to roll over but Cross keeps him under control.

Atomi is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Cross pulls his head out easily.
Atomi is looking to improve his position.
Atomi gets back to full guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Atomi keeping moving, preventing Cross from controlling successfully.
Atomi wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Cross passes Atomi's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Tomi Atomi overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Atomi trying to hold on to Cross's head to control him but Cross postures up.
Atomi is looking to improve his position.
Cross wants to take a breather but Atomi is having none of it.
Atomi is trying to get back to full guard.
Atomi trying to control from the bottom.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Atomi is looking to improve his position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Atomi is trying to control but can't.
Cross is pressing down on Atomi's thigh, looking to free his foot. Atomi is holding on for now.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Atomi waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Cross.
Cross lands with a straight right. Atomi didn't see that one coming.
Cross lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Cross throws an off balance right hand

and Atomi counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Atomi wants to lay and pray for a moment but Cross keeps working.
Atomi not landing any meaningful shots this time.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Atomi trying to pass the guard but Cross defending well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tomi Atomi clearly takes 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.

Atomi misses with a jab to the body

and Cross counters with a takedown into side control.
Atomi tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Cross wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Atomi is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Cross off and has taken his back!
Cross avoids the strikes from Atomi.
Cross covers up after taking a massive shot to the side of the head.
Atomi doesn't have the hooks in and Cross manages to turn into his guard.
Atomi wants to hit a switch here but Cross passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Atomi there!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Cross is trying to control here but Atomi has managed to regain half guard.
Atomi tries to roll over but Cross keeps him under control.
Cross works his foot free and advances to mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Atomi tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Cross putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Atomi is working to get back to half guard.
Cross trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Cross cracks Atomi with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Atomi tries to lock up and control but Cross gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Atomi is trying to escape the mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cross controlling his opponent.
Cross unloading with bombs!
Cross landing strikes, looking to finish!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
BOOM! Cross connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Cross can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Atomi is looking to escape.
Atomi tries to reverse the position but Cross maintains control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cross lands a nice shot to the head.
Atomi is in all sorts of trouble here.
Atomi 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.
Cross slips a nice elbow through Atomi's hands, connecting with Atomi's forehead.
Atomi trying to control here.
Cross is looking to take a break and control but Atomi is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Atomi makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Atomi.

Atomi working for a triangle but Cross defends it easily.
Cross wants to control from the top but Atomi keeps moving.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Atomi is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Cross defends well.
Cross postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

Cross is sitting in close to Atomi's body. Atomi has gone for a guillotine from the bottom. Oh damn, that looks pretty tight! Cross is panicking - it looks like this one could be all over! Yes, Cross is tapping! That was a very nice submission by Atomi.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:58 of round 4, we have a winner by way of Submission (Guillotine). Tomi Atomi!
Tomi Atomi retains his welterweight title!
In his post fight interview, Tomi Atomi started talking himself up. Luckily his charisma kept the crowd on side and gave him a good reception.