PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Alexander Smith (ranked 24808 p4p, 0 weight class) and Cael Sanderson (ranked 3418 p4p, 0 weight class). Cael Sanderson has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Smith
vs
Sanderson

194 cm
19
190 lbs
1 - 4 - 0

181 cm
25
195 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Brawler
Very quick

Good wrestler
Basic striking
Very confident

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 1 - 4 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Alexander Smith!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Cael Sanderson!
The judges for this bout are Peter Branson, David Hoff and Bart Greer.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sanderson displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Smith.
Smith shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Sanderson but Sanderson pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Smith closes this distance looking for a takedown but Sanderson circles away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Alexander Smith. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Smith tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Sanderson swivels and escapes.

Sanderson closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Sanderson looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Sanderson throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Sanderson working over Smith with some ground and pound. Smith looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Smith knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Sanderson on the ground.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Sanderson lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Smith definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Smith trying to control from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sanderson is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Sanderson seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Ground and pound from Sanderson.
Sanderson takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Sanderson scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Sanderson is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Smith tries to get to full guard but Sanderson has control of the leg.
Smith has hold of Sanderson's hands but Sanderson slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Smith is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sanderson is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Sanderson lands strikes from half guard.
Nice strikes from Sanderson there.
Smith is looking to control Sanderson's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Smith avoid being mounted?
Sanderson stalling.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Smith has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Sanderson is working away from the top position though.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Smith looks like he's trying to stand up.
Sanderson is taking a breather. Smith says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
Smith is looking for a sweep. Sanderson is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

That's four 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.
Sanderson controlling the action here.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Cael Sanderson seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Sanderson closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Sanderson lands in his opponent's guard.
Sanderson is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Sanderson working some strikes from top position.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Sanderson is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Sanderson lands a couple of digs.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cael Sanderson dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Smith shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.

Smith gets caught napping as Sanderson dives in and scores a takedown. Smith manages to retain guard.
Smith is wriggling around but Sanderson manages to pass to half guard.
Cael Sanderson has got the better of the ground game so far.

We've been informed that Sanderson has been working hard on his conditioning in the buildup to the fight.
Smith taking some punishment here, with Sanderson in his half guard.
Sanderson is nestled in close to Smith, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Smith is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Sanderson scores with a couple of nice shots.

Smith is rocked!
Smith on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Smith tries to get out of the position.
Sanderson throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Smith has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Sanderson is working away from the top position though.
Sanderson content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Smith tries to get to full guard but Sanderson has control of the leg.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sanderson lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Sanderson working over Smith with some ground and pound. Smith looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Oh Smith is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Smith trying to control from the bottom.
Smith seems to have got his legs back now.
Smith wants to improve his position but Sanderson is controlling well.
Smith is looking to control Sanderson's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Smith avoid being mounted?
Sanderson lands strikes from half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sanderson is nestled in close to Smith, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Smith trying to control here but he's found himself mounted! Oh no!
Sanderson lands with some strikes.
Sanderson postures up and connects with a big shot that has rocked Smith badly. He's trying desperately to grab hold of Sanderson around the waist but Sanderson pushes him off and unloads with more strikes, forcing the referee to jump in and save him! Sanderson is the winner by TKO! Sanderson jumps onto the cage and shouts into the camera. "We did it momma!"

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:43 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Cael Sanderson!