PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Stephen Banks (ranked 24424 p4p, 0 weight class) and Robert Cruz (ranked 5962 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Banks
vs
Cruz

223 cm
23
151 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

180 cm
21
155 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Very confident

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 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Stephen Banks!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Robert Cruz!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cruz wants to clinch but Banks slips to the side

and Banks counters with a shoot takedown. Cruz fights it but they end up in guard.
Banks wants to stand but Cruz is controlling his posture from full guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Banks accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Banks landing some decent shots from guard.
Banks scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Banks tries to stand but Cruz is controlling from the bottom.

Banks gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Banks keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Cruz tries to clinch up but Banks circles away and keeps his distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cruz shoots and misses
and Banks counters with a head kick. That will keep Cruz thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Cruz shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Banks counters with a head kick. That will keep Cruz thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Stephen Banks has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Robert Cruz.
Cruz gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Banks counters with a nice body shot.

Banks darts in and clinches Cruz up against the cage.
Cruz tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Banks just stands there and leans against the cage.
Banks blocks a body shot from Cruz.
Cruz wants a takedown.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cruz jumps guard but Banks stands there with Cruz around his waist. Cruz gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Cruz wants to break free but Banks has control.

Banks pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Banks defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Cruz.
A counter left hand to the body from Banks misses its target.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Cruz.
Cruz tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Banks counters with a straight right hand.
Cruz wants to clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cruz tries for a takedown but Banks circles away easily

and Banks counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Banks.
Cruz is trying to break the clinch but Banks has him pressed against the cage.
Cruz tries to pull guard but Banks forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Cruz tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Cruz tries to break the clinch but Banks is controlling the position.
Banks wants to take the fight to the mat but Cruz manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.

Banks turns his hips and lands a very nice judo throw into side control!
Banks will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cruz is looking for a sweep.
Banks has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.

Banks working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.

Banks is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Cruz knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Banks takes advantage of some sloppy striking from Cruz to pass into mount.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Banks avoids the attempt from Cruz to control.
Banks raining down shots from the mount!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Stephen Banks dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Cruz is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Cruz throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Banks's waist but Banks gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Cruz off to one side.
Banks appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Cruz with a lazy takedown attempt

and Banks counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Cruz is trying to force a seperation but Banks has the dominant position.
Cruz is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Stephen Banks has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Robert Cruz.
Cruz is pressed up against the cage. Banks has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Cruz down to the mat. Cruz avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Cruz tries to keep at a distance but Banks has taken the fight into the clinch.
Banks drops down looking for an ankle pick but Cruz pulls his leg out and moves away.
Stephen Banks is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Banks shoots in and bounces Cruz off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Cruz is on top in guard.

Banks managing to control the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Cruz wants to stand but Banks has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Cruz wants to pass the guard but Banks is keeping the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Banks tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Cruz trying to control but Banks is working from the bottom.
Cruz slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Banks wants to sweep here but Cruz controlling him for the moment.
Cruz wants to control from the top but Banks keeps moving.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Banks is looking to stand up but Cruz isn't so interested in that idea.
Cruz trying to control but Banks is working from the bottom.
Stephen Banks overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Banks looking to hit a scissor sweep but Cruz is one step ahead there.
Cruz wants to control from the top but Banks keeps moving.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Cruz misses with a takedown attempt - Banks sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.

Cruz shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Banks manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.

Banks wriggles free and stands up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Cruz shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Banks's guard.
Banks looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Cruz 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.
Banks 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.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Cruz postures up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Stephen Banks dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Cruz doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Banks counters by clinching up.

Banks breaks from the clinch.
Cruz shoots and misses
and Banks counters with a body kick.
Banks keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Stephen Banks has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Robert Cruz.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cruz thows a leg kick but Banks checks it

and Banks counters by moving into the clinch.
Cruz is trying to stall.
Cruz trying to control the position but instead, Banks has worked for underhooks and has pushed Cruz into the cage.
Cruz is persisting with his attempts to control the action in the clinch, rather than do any real damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cruz misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Banks.

Banks wants the takedown. Cruz is fighting it off but Banks persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in Cruz's guard against the cage.
Banks cracks Cruz with a solid left hand.
Cruz is looking to sweep but instead, Banks has passed into half guard.
Banks really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Banks drops an elbow to the side of Cruz's head.
Banks throws a strike but Cruz avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
Banks throwing strikes but missing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Banks decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Cruz doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Banks counters by moving into the clinch.
Banks drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Cruz is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Banks is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Cruz can do to turn this around?
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Banks just misses with a elbow thrown towards Cruz's brow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cruz is trying to push Banks away but Banks has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

Cruz pulls guard effortlessly.
Cruz controls Banks momentarily but Banks frees himself.
Banks throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Banks preventing the sweep.
Banks landing with the ground and pound.

Banks decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Cruz, up you get!
Cruz leaves Banks with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cruz tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Banks makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Nice sprawl there from Banks as Cruz shoots in.
Banks leaves Cruz with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Cruz tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Robert Cruz has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Stephen Banks is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

Banks moves into the clinch.

And that's the end of the fight!
Stephen Banks showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Banks has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 30:27
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Stephen Banks!