PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Legionarivs Sakara (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Phil Mcracken (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Sakara's entrance music is The Rise of Sakara. A fine choice. Mcracken has chosen DJ Hi-Tek Rulez [Die Antwoord] as his entrance music. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Sakara
vs
Mcracken

185 cm
30
197 lbs
19 - 9 - 1

187 cm
33
196 lbs
15 - 4 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Excellent grappler
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Bloodlust Horde Fightwear
The Big Kabosh

Project Mayhem
Tokyo United Fightwear (EOM Sale nothing over $15)

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 19 - 9 - 1, fighting out of Sydney, Legionarivs Sakara!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Phil Mcracken!
The judges for this bout are John Mangel, Donatello Bradman and Topper Green.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Mcracken lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Mcracken takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Sakara looks to land a right hand but Mcracken moved out of range.
Sakara throws a lazy right hand but Mcracken sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Sakara takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Mcracken slips a jab from Sakara.
A low kick from Sakara is predictable there

and Mcracken counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Sakara looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Sakara is pulling down on Mcracken's head. It's preventing any offense from Mcracken, at least for the moment.
Mcracken throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Sakara works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Mcracken throws a big elbow that misses.
Mcracken wants to control from the top but Sakara keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mcracken throwing strikes from guard but Sakara blocks nicely.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Mcracken wants to control from the top but Sakara keeps moving.
Sakara is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Mcracken slips under a jab.
Sakara ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Sakara misses with a looping right.
Sakara misses with a low kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sakara avoids the body shot from Mcracken.
Mcracken comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Sakara tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Mcracken is able to avoid easily.
Sakara throws a lazy uppercut

and Mcracken counters with a nice double leg into guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Mcracken postures up in Sakara's guard and throws a big left but Sakara blocks it.
Sakara pulls Mcracken in close to his closed guard and prevents Mcracken from doing any damage or advancing position.
Mcracken throws a big elbow that misses.
Sakara has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Mcracken seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Legionarivs Sakara wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Sakara misses with a leg kick.

Mcracken closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Mcracken lands in his opponent's guard.
Mcracken trying to control the position from guard on top but Sakara is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Mcracken throwing strikes but missing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mcracken trying to control the position from guard on top but Sakara is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Sakara looking to control.
Mcracken pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Sakara is keeping the position for now.
Sakara is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Mcracken lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Sakara wants to sweep but no luck.
Sakara is trying to control the position but Mcracken postures up.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sakara being controlled here, momentarily.

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

Mcracken fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Sakara sprawls well initially but Mcracken persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Phil Mcracken dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Mcracken instigates a clinch.
Mcracken misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Mcracken lands a hook that snaps the head of Sakara backwards.
Mcracken goes for a takedown attempt but Sakara pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.

Mcracken has Sakara up against the cage in a clinch.
Mcracken misses with a body punch.
Sakara tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Mcracken's elbow.
A nice left hand lands by Sakara.
Mcracken working aggressively here.
Mcracken lands a body punch in the clinch.
Mcracken is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Sakara trying to control the position but instead, Mcracken has worked for underhooks and has pushed Sakara into the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sakara misses with a hook to the ribs.
Mcracken misses with a punch on the inside.
Mcracken with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Mcracken looking to stall.
Mcracken has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. So far he's outscoring his opponent in the clinch so it seems to have been worthwhile.
Sakara scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Sakara misses with a punch to the body.
A hook to the body from Mcracken.
A nice right hand lands inside from Mcracken.
Mcracken working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
A short uppercut from Sakara.
Mcracken goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Sakara as Mcracken tries to tie him up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Mcracken lands a takedown into guard.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Mcracken trying to control the position from guard on top but Sakara is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Mcracken lands a couple of decent looking shots.

Mcracken is holding a leg here, probably looking for an ankle lock - he drops back and goes for it! Sakara is in trouble! Is it all over??? No! Sakara has escaped and now he's on top!
Sakara tries to free his leg and advance position but Mcracken is retaining full guard.
Sakara has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Mcracken is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mcracken looking to control.
Sakara content to stall in guard here.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Sakara trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Sakara 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.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Legionarivs Sakara.
Mcracken scores with a nice right hand.
An inside leg kick lands from Mcracken.
Mcracken takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Sakara walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mcracken ducks under a wild hook from Sakara.
Legionarivs Sakara is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Sakara throws a looping overhand right but Mcracken ducks down to avoid it.
Sakara throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Mcracken doesn't manage to clinch there - Sakara circles away.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sakara waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Mcracken.
Sakara swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Mcracken.
Mcracken scores with a nice strike.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sakara rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Mcracken counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Sakara is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Mcracken is looking to work some ground and pound but Sakara has wrist control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Phil Mcracken showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Back to the action!

Sakara throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

Mcracken closes the distance and clinches.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Mcracken.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Mcracken as Sakara tries to tie him up.
Sakara has a couple of punches blocked by Mcracken.
Mcracken holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Sakara tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Mcracken's elbow.
The referee is keeping an eye on Mcracken - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Sakara blocking some punches.
Sakara blocking some punches.
Sakara wants to break free but Mcracken has control.
A nice left hand lands by Sakara.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sakara lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Mcracken blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Mcracken with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Mcracken working aggressively here.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Mcracken as Sakara tries to tie him up.
Mcracken can't find room to land a body shot as Sakara controls the action.
Mcracken pressing his opponent against the cage.
Mcracken lands a shot to the body.
Sakara blocking some punches.
Sakara stalling in the clinch but Mcracken improves position.
Mcracken prevents a body shot from Sakara.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mcracken blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Sakara can't find room to land a body shot as Mcracken controls the action.
Sakara lands a nice uppercut.
Sakara misses with a punch on the inside.
Mcracken looking to throw knees to the head but Sakara is blocking nicely.
Sakara looking to slow down the pace here.
Mcracken is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Sakara gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Sakara swings wildly with an uppercut but Mcracken uses good head movement to avoid it.
Mcracken looking to slow down the pace here.
A short uppercut from Mcracken.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sakara gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Mcracken.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Sakara.
Mcracken tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Sakara dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Sakara as Mcracken tries to tie him up.
Sakara has Mcracken pressed against the cage.
Mcracken taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Mcracken fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Sakara misses with the head strike.
Phil Mcracken seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Sakara scores with a shot to the side of Mcracken's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sakara managing to block the knees to the body from Mcracken.
Mcracken misses with the head strike.
Sakara throws a head punch that misses.
Mcracken tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.

Mcracken tightens his grip and picks Sakara up, before dumping him to the ground. Sakara manages to land in guard.
Mcracken wants to control from the top but Sakara keeps moving.
Mcracken is working Sakara over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Mcracken 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.
Sakara is adopting a defensive guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sakara has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Phil Mcracken really dominated that round.
That's time! Sakara's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Sakara ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Mcracken jabs Sakara right on the nose. Sakara blinks but takes it well.
Sakara misses with a right hand

and Mcracken counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Sakara's guard now.
Sakara is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Mcracken throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Sakara keeping moving, preventing Mcracken from controlling successfully.
Sakara is pulling down on Mcracken's head to control his posture.
Mcracken won't allow Sakara to sweep him here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mcracken loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Sakara looking to hit a scissor sweep but Mcracken is one step ahead there.
Mcracken throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Sakara works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Mcracken trying to control the position from guard on top but Sakara is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
A left lands for Mcracken.
Sakara attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Sakara throws a leg kick

and Mcracken counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Mcracken scores with a couple of good hammerfists.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mcracken not landing any meaningful shots this time.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Mcracken is trying to control. Sakara wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Sakara trying to control here.
Mcracken is controlling the pace.
Mcracken trying to advance position but Sakara counters by regaining guard.
Mcracken is looking to work some ground and pound but Sakara has wrist control.
Mcracken sitting in guard, not really doing much.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Sakara is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Phil Mcracken has got the better of the ground game so far.
Mcracken wants to pass the guard but Sakara is keeping the position.
Sakara tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Mcracken trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Mcracken content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Sakara looking to hit a scissor sweep but Mcracken is one step ahead there.
Mcracken throws a big right hand that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mcracken trying to control but Sakara is working from the bottom.
Sakara is trying to control the position but Mcracken postures up.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Mcracken throws out a powerful jab.
A low kick from Sakara is predictable there

and Mcracken counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Sakara!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Mcracken throwing shots but missing, from side control.
Mcracken working the head with strikes.
Sakara tries to buck Mcracken off but Mcracken is having none of it.
The referee asks Mcracken politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Mcracken prefers to stall for the moment though.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Mcracken working the ground and pound.
Mcracken trying to control the action but Sakara is working from the bottom.
Sakara being controlled for a moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Phil Mcracken dominated that fourth 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. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Sakara misses with an uppercut. Mcracken saw that one coming.
Good shot there by Mcracken.
Sakara 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.
Sakara scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Sakara shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
A big left from Sakara misses.
Sakara throws a shot from downtown. Mcracken moves away and avoids it.
Phil Mcracken seems to be getting the better of the standup.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A jab from Mcracken finds it's way through Sakara's defenses.
Mcracken cracks a nice hook into Sakara's ribs.
Sakara misses with a shot to the body

and Mcracken decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Sakara's guard.
Sakara controls Mcracken momentarily but Mcracken frees himself.
Mcracken in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Mcracken trying to control but Sakara is working from the bottom.
Mcracken pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Sakara is keeping the position for now.
Mcracken trying to control but Sakara is working from the bottom.
Legionarivs Sakara has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Phil Mcracken is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Phil Mcracken hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.

Mcracken gets a takedown into half guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Mcracken slows the pace down in half guard.
Mcracken tries to pass to full mount but Sakara defends it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mcracken not doing much here.
Let's hope that Mcracken has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Phil Mcracken hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Nice body kick there by Sakara.
Sakara throws a hook but Mcracken avoids it easily.
Sakara tries to land a body kick

and Mcracken counters with a nice double leg into side control. Sakara won't be happy with that.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mcracken tries to score with some ground and pound. Sakara controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Mcracken tries to score with some ground and pound. Sakara controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Mcracken swings around for an armbar but Sakara sees it coming a mile off and turns beautifully into Mcracken's guard.
Sakara passes Mcracken's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Mcracken has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Sakara wants to pass to mount but Mcracken is defending the position.
Mcracken is looking for a sweep. Sakara is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Mcracken is looking to control Sakara's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Mcracken avoid being mounted?
Mcracken moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sakara throws a big elbow that misses.

And that's the end of the fight!
Phil Mcracken comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Mcracken winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge John Mangel scores the fight 45:50
Judge Donatello Bradman scores the fight 45:50
Judge Topper Green scores the fight 45:50

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Phil Mcracken!
Phil Mcracken is the new middleweight champion!
After the fight, Phil Mcracken was humble in paying tribute to his opponent but made it clear he wants to go on to bigger and better things. It seemed to go down well with the crowd who cheered him loudly.