PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Santiago Palmer (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Paddy McCracken (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Palmer comes to the cage accompanied by GSP - Not Impressed. McCracken has chosen You Can't Bring Me Down as his entrance music. Santiago Palmer has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Palmer
vs
McCracken

175 cm
28
170 lbs
6 - 3 - 0

180 cm
20
165 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Brawler
Very quick

BJJ Brown Belt
Basic striking
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Santiago Palmer!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Paddy McCracken!
The judges for this bout are Gwen Towbar, George Francis and Wesley Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Palmer ducks down and throws a hook to the body but McCracken moves away.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that McCracken has been working on his takedowns a lot in the buildup to the fight and we can only assume he's going to look to take this to the mat.
Palmer tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but McCracken was well out of range. Poor timing from Palmer.
Nice defenses there by McCracken.
Palmer thuds his right hand into McCracken's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.

Palmer rushes McCracken and presses him up against the cage.
Palmer has McCracken pushed against the cage.
A head punch on the inside from McCracken fails to land.
McCracken misses with a punch to the body.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Palmer.
Palmer blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Palmer displaying some good clinch control by pressing McCracken up against the cage.
Palmer lands a left hand.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Palmer blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Palmer stalling in the clinch.
Palmer lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of McCracken backwards.
McCracken fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Palmer blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Palmer is pushing McCracken up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
McCracken is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Palmer is defending well.
A short right from Palmer.
Palmer blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
McCracken misses with a punch on the inside.
Palmer blocks an uppercut.
Palmer blocks a body shot from McCracken.
McCracken has a couple of punches blocked by Palmer.
McCracken letting Palmer take a breather here.
McCracken working aggressively here.
Palmer scores with a nice hook to the head.
McCracken throws a punch but it's blocked by Palmer.
Palmer has McCracken pushed against the cage.
Palmer blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
McCracken misses with a punch on the inside.
McCracken swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Palmer lands with a light punch inside.
McCracken working aggressively here.
McCracken is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Palmer is defending well.
Palmer dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Good body shot from Palmer.
McCracken throws a head punch that misses.
I was talking to Palmer's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Palmer effectively controlling the action here.
Palmer stalling in the clinch.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Palmer.
Palmer is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Santiago Palmer.
Palmer misses with a straight left.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from McCracken! But no joy.
Palmer keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from McCracken.

Palmer darts in and clinches McCracken up against the cage.
Palmer leaning against his opponent.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Palmer.
Palmer gets a warning from the ref for wasting time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Palmer scores with a shoulder strike.
McCracken throws a head punch that misses.
McCracken working aggressively here.
Palmer just leaning against McCracken, taking a breather.
A head punch on the inside from McCracken fails to land.
Palmer's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Stalling in the clinch from Palmer.
McCracken misses with some punches.
Palmer scores with a nice hook to the head.
Palmer lands an elbow inside.

It looks like Paddy McCracken has been cut.
McCracken avoiding damage as Palmer throws knees to the body.
McCracken misses with some punches.
McCracken tries to work over Palmer's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Palmer.
McCracken letting Palmer take a breather here.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for McCracken.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Palmer has McCracken pushed against the cage.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Santiago Palmer.
Palmer swings and misses with a hook to the body.
McCracken lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.

Palmer gets a clinch.
Palmer tries to land knees in the clinch but McCracken avoids the damage to the body.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Palmer has McCracken pushed against the cage.
McCracken misses with the head strike.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Palmer is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Santiago Palmer has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Paddy McCracken.
Palmer leaning his opponent against the cage.
Palmer misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from McCracken.
McCracken misses with a hook from the clinch.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Palmer.
Palmer blocking some punches.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Santiago Palmer dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Paddy McCracken's cut.
That's time! Palmer's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Palmer has managed to clinch.
Palmer controlling the action here for a moment.
Palmer blocks an uppercut.
Palmer blocks a punch to the side of the head.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for McCracken.
Palmer leaning against his opponent.
Palmer pushes McCracken back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
McCracken swings wildly with an uppercut but Palmer uses good head movement to avoid it.
Palmer is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that McCracken can do to turn this around?
McCracken is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Palmer pulls him back up using the underhooks.
A head punch on the inside from McCracken fails to land.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Palmer lands an elbow that stopped McCracken in his tracks for a moment.
McCracken letting Palmer take a breather here.
McCracken working aggressively here.
The referee is keeping an eye on Palmer - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McCracken letting Palmer take a breather here.
Palmer tries a knee to the head but McCracken blocks it.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Palmer.
Palmer is pushing McCracken up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Palmer lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
McCracken's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for McCracken.
Palmer lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of McCracken backwards.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
McCracken is looking to take this one to the mat.
McCracken throws a punch but it's blocked by Palmer.
Palmer just leaning against McCracken, taking a breather.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Palmer pressing his opponent against the cage.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Santiago Palmer.
McCracken misses with a straight right.
McCracken misses with a right hand
and Palmer counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Palmer is looking to clinch but McCracken is avoiding it.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from McCracken! But no joy.
McCracken swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Palmer is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by McCracken.
A little jabbing left from McCracken on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Paddy McCracken seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Palmer tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but McCracken paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Palmer drops his hands momentarily and McCracken takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
McCracken throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Palmer sees it coming and avoids it easily.
McCracken misses with an uppercut.
McCracken fails to land the takedown.
Santiago Palmer has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Paddy McCracken.
McCracken looks to land a right hand but Palmer moved out of range.
McCracken fails with a takedown attempt.
Palmer keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from McCracken.

Palmer pushes McCracken up against the cage in a clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Palmer lands an elbow inside that McCracken shrugs off.
McCracken misses with a punch on the inside.
Palmer blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Palmer avoiding damage.
Palmer will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning McCracken up against the cage.
McCracken misses with a short punch on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from McCracken fails to land.
Palmer has McCracken pushed against the cage.
McCracken drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Palmer gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Palmer blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Palmer stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
McCracken working aggressively here.
Palmer blocks a punch to the side of the head.
McCracken tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Palmer's elbow.
A head punch on the inside from McCracken fails to land.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Palmer.
Palmer blocking some punches.
Palmer manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Palmer misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from McCracken.
A left hand lands to the body for Palmer.
Palmer working some nice short punches in the clinch.
McCracken has a couple of punches blocked by Palmer.
Palmer lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Palmer stalling.
Palmer blocks an uppercut.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Palmer displaying some good clinch control by pressing McCracken up against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Santiago Palmer dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Paddy McCracken's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

McCracken looks to throw the jab but Palmer is out of range.
Palmer slips a straight right by McCracken.
McCracken is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Palmer.
McCracken throws a shot from downtown. Palmer moves away and avoids it.
Palmer throws a jab but it's blocked by McCracken.
McCracken's corner calls for a 1-2. McCracken obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
McCracken fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Palmer bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
It looked like Palmer was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from McCracken.
Palmer misses the shot to the body.
Sloppy strikes from McCracken. Those never looked like landing.
McCracken throws a hook but Palmer avoids it easily.
McCracken waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Palmer.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
McCracken thows a left - swing and a miss!
McCracken throws a right hand that Palmer ducks under and follows up with a left that Palmer also avoids with ease.
McCracken might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Palmer swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from McCracken! But no joy.
Palmer tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
McCracken swinging wildly here.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Palmer rushes McCracken and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Palmer dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
McCracken tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Palmer content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Palmer stalling the fight.
McCracken misses with a punch on the inside.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Palmer.
McCracken is looking for a takedown.
A head punch on the inside from McCracken fails to land.
Santiago Palmer has scored more points in the clinch so far.
McCracken misses with a short punch on the inside.
McCracken blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Palmer softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
McCracken throws a head punch that misses.
Palmer lands a right hand that snaps the head of McCracken backwards.
Stalling in the clinch from Palmer.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Palmer.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
McCracken's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Palmer lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt McCracken or not.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
McCracken swings away with an uppercut that misses.
McCracken throws a punch but it's blocked by Palmer.
Palmer lands a left hand.
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!
A right hook to the body lands for Palmer.
McCracken misses with some punches.
Palmer has McCracken pushed against the cage.
McCracken takes an elbow to the forehead.
McCracken being controlled against the cage.
McCracken throws a punch but it's blocked by Palmer.
Paddy McCracken has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Palmer prevents the takedown attempt.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
McCracken misses with a hook from the clinch.
McCracken misses with some punches.
Palmer holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Palmer's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Palmer stalling.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Santiago Palmer.
Palmer lands a really nice looking cross but McCracken seems unphased.
Palmer scores with a jab.

Palmer closes the distance and clinches.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for McCracken.
Palmer blocks a punch to the side of the head.
McCracken throws a head punch that misses.
McCracken wants a takedown but no success here.
Santiago Palmer has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Paddy McCracken.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
McCracken blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
A head punch on the inside from McCracken fails to land.
McCracken misses with a punch to the body.
A bit of stalling here from Palmer.
McCracken working aggressively here.
McCracken on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
McCracken misses with a short punch on the inside.
Palmer lands a hook that snaps the head of McCracken backwards.
McCracken misses with a short punch on the inside.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Palmer takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
McCracken throws a punch but it's blocked by Palmer.
Palmer stalling.
McCracken fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for McCracken.
Palmer lands a body punch.
McCracken misses with the head strike.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Santiago Palmer.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Palmer, 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 Gwen Towbar scores the fight 30:27
Judge George Francis scores the fight 30:27
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Santiago Palmer!
In his post fight interview, Santiago Palmer gave a big smile as he said 'Yeah I am gonna face the champ. Hey champ! Santiago Palmer is gonna smother you with a big blanket on your weak body! You better spar with a blanket or you will be done!'.