PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Dawid Rafal (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Juan Cabrillo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Dawid Rafal could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Juan Cabrillo's chin.

Rafal
vs
Cabrillo

187 cm
29
177 lbs
13 - 6 - 0

177 cm
31
186 lbs
9 - 4 - 1

Good wrestling
World class MT
Cardio machine

Olympic wrestler
Great elbows
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 13 - 6 - 0, fighting out of New York, Dawid Rafal!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 4 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Juan Cabrillo!
The judges for this bout are Steve Montenegro, Jorge Garcia and Dean Styles.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cabrillo throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Rafal counters with a good low kick that Cabrillo was not able to check.
Rafal lands a nice shot to the body.
Cabrillo loads up on a big right hand but Rafal slips the punch.
Jab, jab by Rafal - just one landing.
Rafal scores with a jab to the head.
Cabrillo misses with a right hand
enabling Rafal to counter with a crisp jab.
Cabrillo uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Rafal.
Cabrillo keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Rafal scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Rafal connects with a body shot that sends Cabrillo's belly button to the back.
Cabrillo tries to clinch up but Rafal circles away and keeps his distance.
Rafal tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Cabrillo was well out of range. Poor timing from Rafal.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Cabrillo tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Rafal counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Rafal cracks Cabrillo with a right hand to the side of the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rafal scoring well with a low kick there.
Rafal misses with an attempted mid kick.
A telegraphed right hand from Rafal misses the target.
A looping hook to the body misses from Rafal. Cabrillo does a little dance to reset his feet.
Cabrillo looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Cabrillo throws an overhand right that lands on Rafal's shoulder, as Rafal tries to avoid the shot.
A lazy left from Rafal finds it's target.
Cabrillo swings for the body but Rafal moves out of range.
Rafal lands a leg kick that knocks Cabrillo off balance momentarily.
Rafal misses with a head kick.
Dawid Rafal seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Cabrillo checks the leg kick.
Cabrillo misses with a lunging right hand
and Rafal counters with a right hand to the body.
Rafal lands a body shot.
Rafal throws out a loose jab but Cabrillo uses good head movement to avoid it.
Rafal dips to his left and cracks Cabrillo with an uppercut!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Rafal is looking to chop away at Cabrillo's legs.
Rafal is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Rafal misses with an uppercut.
Rafal misses with a body kick.
Cabrillo takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Rafal throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Cabrillo sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Cabrillo blocks a head kick by Rafal.
Cabrillo wants to clinch.
Cabrillo on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Rafal. Rafal obviously looking to wear him down.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Rafal 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 Cabrillo has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Cabrillo and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Rafal takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Rafal throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Rafal keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Cabrillo.
Rafal lands with an overhand left.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cabrillo jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Cabrillo misses with a looping right.
An inside leg kick lands from Rafal.
Cabrillo closes the distance but Rafal moves to the side
and Rafal counters with a straight right hand.
Dawid Rafal is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Rafal moves out of range as Cabrillo strikes.
Rafal digs a good hook to Cabrillo's body.
A head kick from Cabrillo lands but Rafal takes it in his stride.
Rafal looks to land a left hand but Cabrillo moved out of range nicely.
Cabrillo takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
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!
Cabrillo throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Rafal counters with a stiff right hand.
Cabrillo fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Cabrillo throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Rafal.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rafal keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Cabrillo lands a head shot.
Rafal scores with a nice body kick.
Both fighters circling a little - Rafal finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Cabrillo connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Cabrillo doesn't manage to clinch there - Rafal circles away.
A jab from Rafal does it's job there.
Rafal stuffs the takedown attempt from Cabrillo. Cabrillo gets slowly back to his feet.
Rafal misses with a hook. Cabrillo ducked under it nicely.
Rafal throws a half hearted mid kick.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Rafal slips under a jab.
Cabrillo throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Nice uppercut there from Rafal.
Rafal with a body punch. A glancing blow.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dawid Rafal dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Cabrillo tries to close the distance and clinch but Rafal swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Cabrillo takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Rafal turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Nice cross by Rafal.
Cabrillo throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Cabrillo misses with a lunging right hand
and Rafal counters with a stiff right hand.
Rafal just misses with a punch to the body.
Dawid Rafal is winning the standup battle so far.
A big left from Rafal misses.
Cabrillo tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Rafal misses with a straight left.
Cabrillo is looking to clinch but Rafal is avoiding it.
Rafal misses the jab.
Rafal wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Rafal scores with a three punch combo!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Cabrillo misses with a hook. Rafal ducked under it nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cabrillo looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Rafal misses with a straight right.
Cabrillo tries to clinch there but Rafal circles away.
Rafal stuns Cabrillo with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Rafal swats away the attempt to clinch by Cabrillo.
Cabrillo takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Rafal tries a low kick but Cabrillo avoids it.
Rafal swats away the attempt to clinch by Cabrillo.
Cabrillo jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Cabrillo shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Rafal throws a leg kick

and Cabrillo counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Cabrillo.
Rafal tries a body shot but Cabrillo blocks it.
Rafal has a couple of punches blocked by Cabrillo.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rafal tries to land knees in the clinch but Cabrillo avoids the damage to the body.
Rafal lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Rafal misses with a hook to the ribs.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Rafal blocks a body shot from Cabrillo.
A head punch on the inside from Rafal fails to land.
Rafal working Cabrillo over with knees to the body.

Rafal pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Cabrillo shoots in and gets a takedown into Rafal's guard.
Rafal looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Cabrillo loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Cabrillo in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rafal looking to control.
Rafal pulls Cabrillo in close to his closed guard and prevents Cabrillo from doing any damage or advancing position.

We're going to have a standup here because Dawid Rafal wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Rafal moves away from the strike by Cabrillo.
Rafal misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Cabrillo connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Cabrillo swings widly with a right hand
and Rafal counters with a stiff right hand.
Rafal waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Cabrillo.
Cabrillo wants to clinch
and Rafal counters with a body kick that stops Cabrillo in his tracks momentarily.
Cabrillo checks a leg kick.
Cabrillo has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Rafal bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
A jab from Rafal does it's job there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cabrillo blocks a jab.
Rafal throws a body punch but Cabrillo moves out of range.
Rafal moves out of range of the body kick from Cabrillo.
Cabrillo takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Rafal avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rafal scoring well with a low kick there.
Rafal throws a low kick but Cabrillo avoids it.
Rafal misses with a leg kick.
Rafal misses the shot to the body.
Rafal pivots, looking for a leg kick but Cabrillo is out of range and Rafal settles back down.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Cabrillo throws an off balance right hand
and Rafal counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Cabrillo thinking.
Rafal fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Cabrillo scores with a shot to the body.
Cabrillo on the wrong end of a nice hook.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dawid Rafal dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Jab from Rafal.
Cabrillo shoots in but Rafal avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Rafal waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Cabrillo.
Rafal takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
A cross from Rafal lands.
Rafal takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Cabrillo misses with a looping right.
Cabrillo tries to clinch but Rafal moves away
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Rafal scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Cabrillo tries to clinch up but Rafal circles away and keeps his distance.
Rafal throws a head kick but Cabrillo moves out of range.
Cabrillo tries to close the distance and clinch but Rafal swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Cabrillo swinging wildly here.
Rafal jabbing away but nothing is landing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rafal bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Cabrillo's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Rafal throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Rafal keeps the fight on the outside.
Cabrillo ducks under a wild hook from Rafal.
Rafal connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Rafal uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Cabrillo.
Rafal avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Rafal lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.

Cabrillo clinches with his opponent.
Rafal is looking to break free of the clinch but Cabrillo has double underhooks.
Cabrillo throws a punch but it's blocked by Rafal.
Cabrillo misses with a punch on the inside.
Rafal lands a body shot in the clinch.
Rafal doesn't land with the attempted body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cabrillo scores with a shot to the side of Rafal's head.
Rafal swings away with an uppercut that misses.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Rafal's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Cabrillo checks a leg kick.
Cabrillo jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Cabrillo tries to close the distance and clinch up but Rafal swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Cabrillo has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Rafal finds it's way round the side to connect with Cabrillo's head.
Rafal with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Cabrillo to score with a decent uppercut.
Rafal shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Cabrillo gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Rafal circles away from the clinch attempt.
Rafal fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Cabrillo has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Cabrillo steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Rafal.
Rafal scores with a decent looking hook.
Cabrillo throws a jab when Rafal was well out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cabrillo throws a right hand that Rafal ducks under and follows up with a left that Rafal also avoids with ease.
Rafal moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Rafal misses with a looping right.
Rafal throws a quick inside leg kick.
Rafal throws a hook to the side of Cabrillo's head but Cabrillo sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Rafal lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Juan Cabrillo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Rafal misses with a looping left.
Cabrillo looks to throw the jab but Rafal is out of range.
A nice combination there by Rafal.
Rafal lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Rafal misses with a looping right.
Rafal 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.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Cabrillo is defended easily by Rafal.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cabrillo throws a body shot but no joy.
Cabrillo takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Cabrillo misses with a straight right.
Rafal connects with a solid leg kick.
Rafal uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Cabrillo has time to react.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Rafal works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Rafal.
Cabrillo displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Cabrillo throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Rafal lands a jab to the head.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Cabrillo shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Nice defenses there by Rafal.
Rafal blocks a jab.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dawid Rafal showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Rafal, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Steve Montenegro scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jorge Garcia scores the fight 30:27
Judge Dean Styles scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dawid Rafal!
A relieved looking Dawid Rafal thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.