PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Craig Jones (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bruce Sanders (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Sanders has chosen Born in the USA as his entrance music. The atmosphere really building for this one as we go over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Jones
vs
Sanders

168 cm
24
153 lbs
7 - 6 - 0

176 cm
23
155 lbs
6 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Craig Jones!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Bruce Sanders!
The judges for this bout are Micheangelo Fripello, Chris Saunders and Paul Gruel.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Jones pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Sanders has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Jones is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Jones scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Sanders doesn't seem bothered though.
Jones with a poor takedown
and Sanders counters with a nice body shot.
Sanders ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Jones moves away.
Jones has been working on his balance at Death Valley Training Facility, so perhaps that has help him stuff some of the takedown attempts by Sanders.
Sanders lands with a cross.
Sanders throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Jones makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Jones works Sanders's body with a nice hook.
Craig Jones seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Sanders just misses with a punch to the body.
Jones scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Sanders, as that shot connected.

Jones has Sanders up against the cage in a clinch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Jones tries to throw a body punch but Sanders avoids it by throwing Jones back against the cage.
Jones tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Sanders's elbow.
Jones lands a nice knee to the body.
Jones drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Sanders is defending well against a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Craig Jones. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jones misses with a short punch on the inside.
Jones wants to take the fight to the mat but Sanders manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Jones tries to throw a body punch but Sanders avoids it by throwing Jones back against the cage.
Jones wants to take the fight to the mat but Sanders manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.

Sanders escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
A nice inside leg kick there by Sanders. That's going to slow Jones down.
Jones moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Jones tries to clinch up.
Jones lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Sanders lands a lovely overhand right.
Jones throws a sloppy head kick
letting Sanders counter with a right hand.
Jones swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Jones is looking to land body kicks.
A big left from Sanders misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sanders throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
And Jones counters with a quick kick to the body but Sanders blocks it.
Jones tries to clinch there but Sanders circles away.
Jones moves out of range as Sanders strikes.
Good work by Sanders as he checks the leg kick.
Good shot there by Sanders.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sanders swings widly with a right hand
and Jones counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Jones just misses with a punch to the body.
Sanders scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Sanders throws a hook but Jones avoids it easily.
Jones cracks Sanders with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Jones throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.
A solid leg kick lands there for Jones.
No luck for Jones with that takedown attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jones tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Sanders was well out of range. Poor timing from Jones.
Sanders connects with a right hand. Jones shakes it off.
Sanders throws a lazy uppercut
and Jones makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Sanders looks to land a left hand but Jones moved out of range nicely.
Sanders takes a swing at Jones's ribcage but misses.
Jones seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Jones misses with a low kick as Sanders jumps back.
Bruce Sanders is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Jones lands a lovely overhand right.
Jones turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Jones fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Sanders is out of range.
A jab lands there for Sanders.
Sanders checks the leg kick.
Jones is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Sanders.

Jones clinches up with Sanders and pushes him back against the cage.
Jones fails to pull guard.
Jones fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sanders fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Sanders struggles to land a body shot inside as Jones controls his hands.
Jones pushes Sanders back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Jones blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Sanders fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

Jones manages to pull guard.
Sanders is looking to stand up but Jones won't let him.
Jones thows some rabbit punches from the bottom but they don't do any damage.
Jones trying to keep a closed guard but Sanders is proving a slippery customer.
Sanders would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Jones 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.

Jones looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Sanders wants to stand but Jones has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Craig Jones will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Jones dodges the punch combination from Sanders.
A low kick from Jones is predictable there
and Jones takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Sanders slips under a jab.

Sanders gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.

Sanders scrambles and gets back to his feet.
Sanders throws a body punch but Jones moves out of range.
Jones looks to clinch
and Sanders counters with a lovely straight right hand!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Jones shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Sanders counters with a straight right hand.
Sanders throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Bruce Sanders seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Sanders walks into a straight right hand from Jones.
Jones throws a half hearted mid kick.
Jones moves out of range of the strikes.
Jones looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jones throws a body shot but no joy.
Sanders throws a lazy right hand but Jones sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Jones on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
A good leg kick by Jones.
Jones works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Sanders misses with a kick to the body
and Jones counters with an inside leg kick.
Sanders scores with a hook to the body. Jones takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Jones is looking to wear down Sanders with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Sanders misses with a body shot.
Jones keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Sanders throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Sanders swings away with a body shot that misses
and Jones counters with a one-two to the body.
Jones tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Sanders manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Sanders missing with a left hand there. Jones was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sanders lands a body shot.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sanders misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Jones.
That kick from Jones tenderised Sanders's leg. Sanders is trying to keep his angry face on.
Jones shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.

Jones gets a clinch.
Sanders prevents a body shot from Jones.
Jones misses with the head strike.
Jones tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Sanders avoids it.
Sanders takes a shot to the head.
Jones is trying to pull guard but Sanders turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Nice body punch from Jones - that landed with a thud.
Jones tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Craig Jones. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Sanders manages to break the clinch.
Sanders throws a body punch but Jones moves out of range.
Jones lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Sanders blocks a low kick nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sanders has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Sanders there as he acknowledges the shot.
Jones throws a sloppy head kick and Sanders moves out of range easily.
Jones misses with an uppercut
and Sanders counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Sanders slaps away a takedown attempt from Jones, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Sanders now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Good leg kick by Jones there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
A swing and a miss from Jones.
Sanders unleashes a big counter combination but Jones bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Sanders throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Jones has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Jones there as he acknowledges the shot.
Sanders throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Jones uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Sanders.
Jones looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Jones tries to clinch but Sanders moves out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jones throws a push kick but Sanders slaps the foot to one side.
Jones avoids the body shot from Sanders.
Jones throws a low kick, looking for Sanders's leg but Sanders calmly moves out of range.
Sanders now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Jones ducks under a wild hook from Sanders.
Sanders takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Jones misses with a body shot
and Sanders counters with a right hand to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Sanders's jab looks to have found its range, popping Jones under the eye.
Sanders ducks under a wild hook from Jones.
Jones slips under a jab from Sanders.
Jones throws a leg kick but Sanders moved away.

Jones shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Jones was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!

Sanders bucks up and manages to escape back to his feet!
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Jones scores with a leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Bruce Sanders will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

A slow jab from Sanders misses its intended target.
Jones misses with a straight left.
Sanders looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Jones looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Jones slips a jab from Sanders.
Sanders checks the leg kick nicely there.
Sanders misses the jab.
Jones on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Sanders misses the shot to the body.
Jones pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Jones looks for the body kick but Sanders saw that one coming.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Jones looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Jones pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Jones throws out a loose jab but Sanders uses good head movement to avoid it.
Jones misses with a body kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nice body punch from Sanders.
Good work by Sanders as he checks the leg kick.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Sanders! But no joy.
Jones takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Sanders misses with a straight left.
Jones quickly followed up with a counter body kick but doesn't connect.
Jones lands a nice looking body shot.
A looping hook to the body misses from Sanders. Jones does a little dance to reset his feet.
Jones shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Sanders as he jumps to the side.
Sanders stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Jones.
Sanders misses with a kick to the body.
Jones jinks towards his opponent looking like he wants to counter with a mid kick but doesn't commit.
Sanders on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Jones. Jones obviously looking to wear him down.
Jones shoots for a double leg takedown but Sanders sprawls well. He's pushed Jones's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Jones.
Jones throws a front kick aimed at Sanders's knee but Sanders avoids it well.
Sanders misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Jones.
Sanders ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Sanders throws out a loose jab but Jones uses good head movement to avoid it.
Sanders is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sanders misses with a few strikes there.
Sanders blocks a head kick by Jones.
Sanders tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Jones lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Jones throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Sanders's waist but Sanders gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Jones off to one side.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Craig Jones. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Sanders keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Jones tries to work over Sanders's front leg with a kick but Sanders checks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice body punch from Sanders.
Jones's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Sanders connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Jones scrambles back to his feet.
Jones throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Sanders doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Jones has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Sanders finds it's way round the side to connect with Jones's head.
Jones takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Jones throws an overhand right that lands on Sanders's shoulder, as Sanders tries to avoid the shot.
Sanders looks to land a left hand but Jones moved out of range nicely.
Sanders ducks under a wild hook from Jones.
Sanders keeps the fight on the outside.
Sanders's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Jones tries to clinch up but Sanders circles away and keeps his distance.
Sanders ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Jones moves away.

Jones closes the distance and pushes Sanders back into the cage.
A body shot lands from Sanders.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sanders blocks a body shot from Jones.
Sanders tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Jones's elbow.
Sanders struggles to land a body shot inside as Jones controls his hands.
Sanders scores with a hook to the body.
Jones doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Jones tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Sanders lands a hook to the side of the head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sanders has a couple of punches blocked by Jones.
Jones goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Jones tries to pull guard but Sanders holds him up against the cage and eventually Jones drops back down to his feet.
Sanders lands a left hand.
Jones fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Craig Jones has scored more points in the clinch so far.

Jones decides to pull guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Jones trying to keep a closed guard but Sanders is proving a slippery customer.

Sanders stands up from Jones's guard - Sanders perhaps looking for a knockout.
Jones ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Jones was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.

And that's the end of the fight!
Bruce Sanders comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Sanders 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 Micheangelo Fripello scores the fight 28:29
Judge Chris Saunders scores the fight 29:28
Judge Paul Gruel scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Bruce Sanders!
An out of breath Bruce Sanders thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.