PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Richard Hickock (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nir Sosa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Hickock comes to the cage accompanied by Why can't we be friends. This should be a great matchup!

Hickock
vs
Sosa

182 cm
34
193 lbs
32 - 18 - 2

180 cm
29
191 lbs
22 - 11 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Excellent grappler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Beaver Jooce!

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 32 - 18 - 2, fighting out of Montreal, Richard Hickock!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 22 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nir Sosa!
The judges for this bout are James Ackerman, James Atkins and Sam Margolis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hickock slaps away a takedown attempt from Sosa, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Sosa avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Hickock connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Sosa takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Hickock avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Hickock buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Hickock lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Hickock changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Sosa blocks the body kick.
Hickock misses with a wild body shot.
Richard Hickock seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Sosa will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Hickock tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Sosa paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Sosa tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Hickock is able to avoid easily.
Hickock with a hook.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Hickock drives through and clinches with Sosa against the cage.
Sosa being controlled against the cage.
Sosa throws a punch but it's blocked by Hickock.
Hickock lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

It looks like Nir Sosa has been cut.
Sosa misses with a body punch.
A short left from Sosa.
Sosa misses with some punches.
Sosa blocks a body shot from Hickock.
Hickock is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Hickock looking to stall.
Sosa has a couple of punches blocked by Hickock.
Hickock prevents a body shot from Sosa.
A nice right hand lands inside from Hickock.
Hickock blocking some punches.
Sosa lands a right hand that snaps the head of Hickock backwards.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sosa misses with a short punch on the inside.
Sosa lands a right hand.
A head punch on the inside from Hickock fails to land.
Hickock swings wildly with an uppercut but Sosa uses good head movement to avoid it.
Sosa misses with a punch on the inside.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sosa misses with a punch on the inside.
Sosa swings wildly with an uppercut but Hickock uses good head movement to avoid it.
Sosa misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Hickock blocking some punches.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Hickock.
Sosa pushes Hickock back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Hickock blocks a body shot from Sosa.
Hickock takes a shot to the head.
Sosa lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Nice body punch from Hickock - that landed with a thud.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Sosa.
Hickock lands with a light punch inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sosa misses with a short punch on the inside.
Sosa has had enough of the clinch but Hickock keeps him there for the moment.
Hickock misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Hickock working aggressively here.
Sosa lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Hickock backwards.
Sosa lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Sosa lands a shoulder strike.
Sosa misses with a punch on the inside.
Sosa slows down the pace here.
Sosa misses with the head strike.
Sosa misses with a short punch on the inside.
Sosa softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Hickock fails to land.
Sosa lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Sosa avoids the elbow strike from Hickock, against the cage.
Hickock blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hickock lands a shot to the body.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Hickock.
Hickock tries a body shot but Sosa blocks it.
A head punch on the inside from Sosa fails to land.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Hickock tries to throw a body punch but Sosa avoids it by throwing Hickock back against the cage.
Hickock working aggressively here.
Sosa pushes Hickock back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Sosa misses with some punches.
Sosa swings wildly with an uppercut but Hickock uses good head movement to avoid it.
Sosa lands with a left to the head.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Hickock lands with a short shot to the head.
A head punch on the inside from Hickock fails to land.
Hickock swings away with an uppercut that misses.
We've been informed that Sosa has been working hard on his conditioning in the buildup to the fight.
A nice left hand lands by Sosa.
Sosa misses with some punches.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nir Sosa dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Nir Sosa's cut.
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.

Hickock pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Sosa with the counter takedown but Hickock avoids it easily.
A right-left combo lands from Sosa.
Hickock shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Hickock defending well as Sosa loads up on a big left hand.
A lazy left from Hickock finds it's target.
Hickock throws a hook but Sosa blocks it.
Hickock connects with a single shot there.
Hickock throws a hook but Sosa blocks it.
Sosa is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
Hickock wants to slow Sosa down by chopping away at his legs.
Sosa with the counter takedown but Hickock avoids it easily.
Sosa fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Sosa connects with an inside leg kick.
Hickock throws a nice looking combination but Sosa bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Hickock buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Richard Hickock is winning the standup battle so far.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Hickock just misses with a punch to the body.
Sosa misses the jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sosa misses with a body kick.
Sosa tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
A low kick from Sosa is predictable there
and Hickock counters with a nice uppercut.
Hickock throws a leg kick that misses.
Sosa is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
A punch combination from Hickock misses.
And Sosa tries to counter it with a takedown but Hickock pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Hickock misses with a straight left.
Hickock tries to clinch up.
Sosa feints the counter takedown.
Hickock moves in looking to clinch but Sosa pushes him off.
Hickock tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Sosa was well out of range. Poor timing from Hickock.
Hickock tries to land a front kick but Sosa steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Sosa changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
Sosa bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Hickock avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Sosa on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Hickock. Hickock obviously looking to wear him down.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hickock throws a low kick but Sosa moves out of range easily.
Sosa takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
The fighters circle momentarily. Hickock darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Sosa digs a good body shot into Hickock's ribs.
Some bone on bone action there as Hickock checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Hickock misses the shot to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sosa pivots, looking for a leg kick but Hickock is out of range and Sosa settles back down.
Hickock tries to clinch but Sosa is having none of it.
Hickock takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Sosa misses with a hook
and Hickock counters with a low kick, right behind Sosa 's knee.
Sosa is looking to score with low kicks.
Hickock will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Hickock works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Sosa tests Hickock's chin there with a solid looking shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hickock 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.
It looks like Hickock has been trying to sharpen up his punching technique, as it looks crisper than last time we saw him.
Hickock misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

Sosa gets tackled into the cage by Hickock. Hickock maintains the clinch.
A head punch on the inside from Hickock fails to land.
Hickock misses with a short punch on the inside.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Hickock.
Hickock blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Sosa swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Sosa throws a head punch that misses.
Nir Sosa seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Sosa fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Hickock is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Sosa is keeping busy.
Sosa swings wildly with an uppercut but Hickock uses good head movement to avoid it.
A head punch on the inside from Hickock fails to land.
Hickock has a couple of punches blocked by Sosa.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hickock working aggressively here.
A nice left hand lands by Sosa.
Sosa blocks an uppercut.
Sosa lands a body shot.
Sosa lands a left hand that snaps the head of Hickock backwards.
Hickock gets through Sosa's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Sosa misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Sosa lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Hickock misses with the head strike.
Hickock is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Sosa tries to work over Hickock's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Hickock has a couple of punches blocked by Sosa.
Hickock lands a body shot in the clinch.
Sosa throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Hickock has a couple of punches blocked by Sosa.
Sosa swings wildly with an uppercut but Hickock uses good head movement to avoid it.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Sosa.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Richard Hickock dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Nir Sosa's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Hickock checks a leg kick.

Hickock clinches up with Sosa and pushes him back against the cage.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Sosa creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Hickock looking to slow down the pace here.
Sosa gets through Hickock's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Sosa.
Sosa tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Sosa tries to stall but Hickock uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Sosa blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Hickock misses with a hook from the clinch.
Hickock blocks a punch to the side of the head.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hickock misses with a hook from the clinch.
Hickock taking a breather.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Sosa has Hickock pushed against the cage.
Hickock blocks a punch to the side of the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sosa misses with a hook from the clinch.
Sosa scores with a hook to the body.
Hickock blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Sosa misses with a short punch on the inside.
Sosa takes an elbow to the forehead.
Hickock blocking some punches.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Nice body punch from Hickock - that landed with a thud.
Sosa has a couple of punches blocked by Hickock.
Hickock lands with a left to the head.
Hickock blocks a body shot from Sosa.
Sosa lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Hickock just misses with a elbow thrown towards Sosa's brow.
Hickock blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Sosa digs a right hand underneath Hickock's ribcage. Hickock let out a lung full of air as it connected.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A nice right hand lands inside from Sosa.
A short right from Sosa on the inside.
Sosa misses with a short punch on the inside.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sosa blocks an uppercut.
Sosa lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Hickock is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Sosa is keeping busy.
A short uppercut from Sosa.
Hickock misses with a shot to the kidneys.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Hickock just misses with a elbow thrown towards Sosa's brow.
Hickock has a couple of punches blocked by Sosa.
The referee calls for Hickock to work.
Hickock struggles to land a body shot inside as Sosa controls his hands.
Sosa throws a punch but it's blocked by Hickock.
Hickock blocks an uppercut.
Sosa blocks an uppercut.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hickock tries a body shot but Sosa blocks it.
Sosa lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Sosa has Hickock pushed against the cage.
Sosa misses with a punch on the inside.
Hickock tries to throw a body punch but Sosa avoids it by throwing Hickock back against the cage.
Sosa working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Good body shot from Hickock.
Hickock throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Hickock prevents a body shot from Sosa.
Sosa can't find room to land a body shot as Hickock controls the action.
Hickock's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
A right hand to the body from Hickock.
Hickock can't find room to land a body shot as Sosa controls the action.
Hickock blocks an uppercut.
Sosa lands with a left to the head.
Hickock is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Sosa is keeping busy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sosa tries to throw a body punch but Hickock avoids it by throwing Sosa back against the cage.
Sosa misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Sosa misses with a short punch on the inside.
Sosa fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Sosa lands a right hand.
Hickock works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Hickock lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Sosa backwards.
Hickock controlling the action here for a moment.
Hickock tries to work over Sosa's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Hickock tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Sosa throws a punch but it's blocked by Hickock.
Sosa can't find room to land a body shot as Hickock controls the action.
Hickock blocks a body shot from Sosa.
Sosa misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Sosa lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Hickock backwards.

And that's the end of the fight!
Nir Sosa comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Sosa has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 James Ackerman scores the fight 28:29
Judge James Atkins scores the fight 28:29
Judge Sam Margolis scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nir Sosa!
Nir Sosa made sure to mention his sponsor, Fury Nutrition Inc. in his post fight interview.