PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Dan Sol (ranked 7301 p4p, 0 weight class) and Emory Knuckles (ranked 7593 p4p, 0 weight class). The key to victory for Dan Sol has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Sol
vs
Knuckles

170 cm
25
150 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

225 cm
20
150 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Big heart

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

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 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Dan Sol!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Emory Knuckles!
The judges for this bout are Santiago Holmes, Dirk Anderson and Peter Branson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sol tries to close the distance and clinch up but Knuckles swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Knuckles looks to land a combination. Sol sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Knuckles fails with the takedown.
Sol blocks a head kick by Knuckles.
Sol stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Sol wants it to stay on the feet.
Sol was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Sol is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Knuckles is looking for the big counter here.
Sol showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Knuckles.
Sol appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Sol displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Knuckles.
Dan Sol has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Emory Knuckles.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Knuckles fails with a takedown attempt.
Emory Knuckles seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Knuckles shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Sol sprawls well. Sol wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Knuckles gets slowly back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knuckles shoots in and drives through. Sol sprawls well.
Sol defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Knuckles.
Knuckles looks winded!
Sol stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Sol wants it to stay on the feet.
Sol throws a head kick but Knuckles moves out of range.
Sol moves in looking to clinch but Knuckles pushes him off.
As Sol backs off Knuckles throws a huge counter combo but Sol manages to avoid it all.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Knuckles is defended easily by Sol.
Sol swings for the body but Knuckles moves out of range.
Knuckles swats away the attempt to clinch by Sol.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Sol tries to keep at a distance but Knuckles has taken the fight into the clinch.
I was talking to Sol's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Knuckles goes for a takedown in the clinch but Sol prevents it.
Sol blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Sol wants a takedown but no success here.
Sol wants a takedown.
Sol gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Knuckles.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Knuckles changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Sol fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Knuckles ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Sol moves away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sol tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Sol tries to clinch but Knuckles moves out of range.
Knuckles shoots in looking for a takedown. Sol tries to sprawl out of it but Knuckles keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Sol manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Sol throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Knuckles rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Sol moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Knuckles.
Sol throws a head kick that Knuckles semi-blocks.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Knuckles is trying hard to land a takedown here. Sol sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Sol stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Sol wants it to stay on the feet.
Knuckles circles away from the clinch attempt.
Knuckles shoots in looking for a takedown. Sol tries to sprawl out of it but Knuckles keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Sol manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Sol lands a jab.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Knuckles shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Sol as he jumps to the side.
Sol swinging wildly here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Sol defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Knuckles.
Knuckles shoots in for a takedown but Sol shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Knuckles throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Sol.
A counter left hand to the body from Sol misses its target.
Sol tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Knuckles has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Sol.

Knuckles pushes Sol up against the cage in a clinch.
Knuckles wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Sol has him pressed against the cage.
Knuckles is pressed up against the cage. Sol has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Knuckles down to the mat. Knuckles avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Knuckles looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Sol is fending him off so far but Knuckles persists. Nope, Sol circles away and we're back to standing.
Dan Sol has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Emory Knuckles.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Knuckles shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Sol pinned against the cage. Sol gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

Knuckles gets a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Knuckles.
Knuckles is trying to drag Sol to the mat but Sol just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Knuckles is trying to pull guard but Sol has him pressed against the cage.
Sol is pressed up against the cage. Knuckles has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Sol down to the mat. Sol avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Knuckles avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Knuckles swats away the attempt to clinch by Sol.
Sol misses with the combination.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Knuckles tried to score with a low kick but Sol checks it.
Dan Sol is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Sol shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Knuckles sprawls well. Knuckles wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Sol gets slowly back to his feet.
Knuckles dives in for a single leg takedown but Sol sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Knuckles misses with a few strikes there.
Sol lands a high kick!
Knuckles shoots in but Sol avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Sol tries for a takedown but Knuckles sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
No luck for Knuckles with that takedown attempt.
Sol seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Knuckles will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sol swings for the body but Knuckles moves out of range.
Knuckles throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Knuckles fails with a takedown attempt.
Sol fails in his attempt to clinch.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Knuckles.
Sol dives in and grabs Knuckles's left leg, looking for a takedown. Knuckles pushes down on Sol's head and hops out.
Knuckles fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Knuckles misses with a takedown attempt
and Sol counters with a head kick. That will keep Knuckles thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Knuckles displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Sol.
Knuckles is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Knuckles tries to bum rush Sol with a series of wild strikes but Sol uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Knuckles looks to throw a body kick
and Sol counters with a left to the body.
Sol is trying hard to land a takedown here. Knuckles sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Dan Sol is winning the standup battle so far.
Knuckles looks for a takedown but Sol sprawls well.
Sol swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Sol is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Knuckles can do to turn this around?

Sol gets caught flat footed, as Knuckles shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Sol bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Knuckles's guard.

Knuckles looking for a sweep. Not yet Knuckles, not yet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Dan Sol will probably get the nod.
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. This is the final round!

Sloppy strikes from Knuckles. Those never looked like landing.
Knuckles pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Sol stuffs the takedown.
Knuckles fails with the takedown.
Sol tries to clinch there but Knuckles circles away.
Knuckles fails to land with a series of punches.
Sol tries to close the distance and clinch but Knuckles swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Sol throws a body punch but Knuckles moves out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Sol slaps away a takedown attempt from Knuckles, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Dan Sol has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Emory Knuckles.
Sol tries to close the distance and clinch but Knuckles swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Knuckles keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knuckles fails with a takedown attempt.
Sol shoots in for a takedown but Knuckles shows good takedown defense.

Knuckles closes the distance and pushes Sol back into the cage.
Knuckles looking for a takedown.
Knuckles wants a takedown.
Sol has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Knuckles is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Knuckles has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Knuckles presses Sol against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Knuckles goes for a takedown attempt but Sol pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Sol closes the distance and clinches up with Knuckles, looking for a takedown. Sol pushes Knuckles against the cage but Knuckles circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Knuckles!
Sol is looking to wear down Knuckles with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Sol stuffs the takedown.

Knuckles instigates a clinch.

Knuckles drags the fight down to the ground.
Knuckles throws some sloppy strikes off his back.

Knuckles has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Sol off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Knuckles shoots in looking for a takedown. Sol tries to sprawl out of it but Knuckles keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Sol manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.

Knuckles rushes Sol and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Knuckles can't get the takedown.
Sol taking a breather.
A frustrated look appears on Knuckles's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Knuckles is looking to take this one to the mat.
Knuckles lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Knuckles has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Sol is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.

Sol breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Sol defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Knuckles.
Sol keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Knuckles circles away from the clinch attempt.
Knuckles fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Knuckles looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Sol!

Sol explodes and escapes back to his feet! Nice escape there!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Knuckles avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Knuckles throws a body shot but no joy.
Sol drops down looking for a counter takedown but Knuckles sprawls and moves away.
Sol is trying hard to land a takedown here. Knuckles sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Knuckles scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
No luck with that takedown attempt from Sol.
Knuckles changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Sol tries to avoid it but Knuckles manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Sol to the ground. Sol escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Sol throws a series of punches but Knuckles avoids them all with ease.
Knuckles unleashes a big counter combination but Sol bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Emory Knuckles has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Dan Sol is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Knuckles moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Emory Knuckles comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Sol has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Santiago Holmes scores the fight 29:28
Judge Dirk Anderson scores the fight 29:28
Judge Peter Branson scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dan Sol!