PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Jay Crawford (ranked 1986 p4p, 305 weight class) and Wesley Roberts (ranked 1503 p4p, 231 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Crawford
vs
Roberts

190 cm
24
215 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

189 cm
24
205 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Jay Crawford!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Wesley Roberts!
The judges for this bout are Ben Zyskovitsi, Matti Vanhoillinen and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Crawford throws a front kick that sends Roberts stumbling back into the cage.
A jab from Roberts misses.
Crawford throws a quick counter kick to the body but Roberts avoids it.
Crawford throws out a powerful jab.
Crawford swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Roberts steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Crawford.
Roberts lands with a good body shot.
Crawford misses with a hook. Roberts ducked under it nicely.
Roberts appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Crawford throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Roberts throws a lazy right hand but Crawford sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Crawford takes a jab right on the kisser.
Roberts thuds his right hand into Crawford's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Roberts waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Crawford.
Roberts's corner calls for a 1-2. Roberts obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A good leg kick by Crawford.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Crawford throws a sloppy head kick
and Crawford takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Roberts swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Crawford.
Roberts scores with a punch to the head.
Roberts takes a swing at Crawford's ribcage but misses.
Crawford misses with a hook. Roberts ducked under it nicely.
Crawford gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Roberts throws a body punch but Crawford moves out of range.
Crawford takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
A head kick misses from Crawford.
Roberts misses with a hook
and Crawford counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Roberts throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Roberts takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Roberts on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Crawford. Crawford obviously looking to wear him down.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Roberts throws a shot to the body.
Roberts uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Crawford.
Roberts misses the shot to the body.
Roberts misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Crawford.
Crawford appears to be looking for a big counter.
Crawford takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Crawford connects with a solid leg kick.
Crawford uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Roberts.
Crawford is looking to counter punch.
Roberts throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Crawford throwing a counter right hand but Roberts manages to avoid it.
Crawford throws an overhand right that lands on Roberts's shoulder, as Roberts tries to avoid the shot.
Wesley Roberts seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Crawford clobbers Roberts with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Crawford is looking light on his feet compared to last time was saw him fight.
Crawford throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Roberts tries to counter by closing the distance.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Crawford looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Roberts swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Roberts throws a lazy right hand but Crawford sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Roberts throws a lazy uppercut
and Crawford counters with a slapping leg kick.
Crawford throws an off balance right hand
letting Roberts counter with a right hand.
Crawford needs to keep his hands up - Roberts had a free shot at his head there.
Roberts throws a shot from downtown. Crawford moves away and avoids it.
Roberts is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Crawford had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Roberts swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Roberts on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Crawford. Crawford obviously looking to wear him down.
Crawford ducks under a wild hook from Roberts.
Crawford jinks towards his opponent looking like he wants to counter with a mid kick but doesn't commit.
Roberts throws a big shot that misses.
Crawford throws a quick counter kick to the body but Roberts avoids it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Roberts rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Crawford moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Crawford appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Roberts jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Roberts looks to land a combination. Crawford sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Roberts with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Crawford to score with a decent uppercut.
Roberts misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Crawford connects with a leg kick. Roberts looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Crawford getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Roberts stalks Crawford and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Crawford's face. Crawford staggers backwards, shaken.
Crawford staying out of range there.
Crawford slips a jab from Roberts.
Crawford jinks towards his opponent looking like he wants to counter with a mid kick but doesn't commit.
Roberts cracks Crawford with a right hand to the side of the head.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Roberts swings widly with a right hand
and Crawford counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

Roberts is rocked!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Crawford drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Crawford throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Roberts makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Crawford throws a body shot but no joy.
Wesley Roberts seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Roberts jabs at Crawford's body.
Roberts throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Crawford sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Crawford moves out of range of the strikes.
Crawford misses with a hook. Roberts ducked under it nicely.
Crawford avoids the body shot from Roberts.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A big right from Roberts misses.
Crawford throws a counter high kick but Roberts was just alert enough to avoid it.
Roberts misses the shot to the body.
Crawford tried to counter with a leg kick but Roberts avoided it.
Crawford throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Roberts checks a leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Crawford loads up on a big right hand but Roberts slips the punch.
Roberts stuns Crawford with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Roberts lands a slapping body shot.
Roberts lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Crawford at a distance.
Crawford misses with a leg kick
and Roberts connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Roberts scores with a hook to the body. Crawford takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Roberts fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Roberts misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Crawford.
An attempted straight right counter from Crawford misses the target.
Roberts misses with a body shot
and Crawford counters with a nice leg kick.
Roberts scores with a hook.
Crawford is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Crawford takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
A telegraphed right hand from Roberts misses the target.
An attempted straight right counter from Crawford misses the target.
Crawford lands a leg kick that knocks Roberts off balance momentarily.
Roberts lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Roberts is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Crawford.
Roberts throws a jab when Crawford was well out of range.
It looked like Crawford was looking amped, ready to throw a big counter but didn't commit.
Roberts throws a one two combo.
Roberts misses with a looping right.
Crawford misses the jab.
Roberts throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Crawford quickly followed up with a counter body kick but doesn't connect.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Roberts throws a poor cross that misses
and Crawford counters with an outside leg kick.
Roberts fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Crawford manages to avoid it.
A counter left hand to the body from Crawford misses its target.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Crawford.
Crawford wants to land a leg kick but Roberts is out of range.
Jab, jab by Roberts - just one landing.
Roberts throws a poor cross that misses
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Roberts has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Crawford uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Roberts.
Crawford is looking to counter punch.
Crawford looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Roberts misses with a hook. Crawford ducked under it nicely.
Roberts looks to land a right hand but Crawford moved out of range.
Crawford looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Roberts misses with a wild body shot.
Roberts punishes Crawford's body with a nice straight punch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Roberts misses with a straight left.
Crawford lifts his leg as if looking to counter with a high kick.
Roberts misses with a body shot.
Roberts throws a series of punches but Crawford moves out of range.
Crawford does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Roberts is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Crawford takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Crawford takes one to the chin there.
Roberts lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Roberts pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Roberts misses with an uppercut. Crawford saw that one coming.
Crawford takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Wesley Roberts showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Crawford fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Jay Crawford has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Roberts swings for the body but Crawford moves out of range.
Crawford uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Roberts.
Roberts waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Crawford.
Roberts throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Roberts loads up on a big right hand but Crawford slips the punch.
Crawford appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Roberts looks to land a right hand but Crawford moved out of range.
Roberts thuds a left hand into Crawford's body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Roberts jabs at Crawford's body.
This entire fight has taken place on the feet so far and you wonder whether Crawford might be better served trying to take this one to the ground because he's losing the standup battle so far.
Roberts looks to score with a jab to the body but Crawford is just out of range.
Roberts throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Crawford sees it coming and avoids it easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Roberts fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Crawford looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Roberts misses the body punch
and Crawford counters with a nice leg kick.
Crawford doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Roberts's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Crawford keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Roberts.
Crawford pivots, looking for a leg kick but Roberts is out of range and Crawford settles back down.
Roberts ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Crawford scores with a kick to the body.

Crawford lands a big head kick that sends Roberts tumbling to the mat! Crawford takes a step backwards and waves Roberts back to his feet - he wants the finish!
Roberts is still on wobbly legs! Can Crawford finish him?

It looks like Wesley Roberts has been cut.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Crawford slips a straight right by Roberts.
As Roberts backs away, Crawford returns fire with a leg kick that just misses.
A shot to the liver by Crawford. Beautiful body shot.
Roberts seems to have recovered his senses.
Roberts takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Roberts throws a sloppy body shot
and Crawford counters with a leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Crawford throws a shot from downtown. Roberts moves away and avoids it.
Roberts uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Crawford.
Crawford connects with a leg kick. Roberts looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Roberts throws a body punch but Crawford moves out of range.
Crawford throws a head kick that misses.
Roberts misses with a looping right.
Roberts misses with a lunging right hand
and Crawford counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Crawford ducks under a wild hook from Roberts.
Crawford was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Roberts scores with a three punch combo!
A swing and a miss from Crawford.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Crawford throws a body punch but Roberts moves out of range.
Roberts cracks a nice hook into Crawford's ribs.
Crawford showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Roberts.
Crawford pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Crawford uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Roberts.
Crawford misses with a leg kick.
Roberts goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Roberts moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
No joy there for Roberts, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Crawford throws a looping overhand right but Roberts ducks down to avoid it.
Roberts connects with a body shot.
Roberts misses with an uppercut
and Crawford counters with a nice leg kick.
Roberts misses with a hook
and Crawford counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Roberts thinking.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Crawford misses with a hook. Roberts ducked under it nicely.
Crawford delivers a nice body kick.
Roberts throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Nice straight punches there by Crawford. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Crawford.
Crawford lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Wesley Roberts is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Crawford showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Roberts.
Crawford thinks about countering with a body kick.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Jay Crawford.
Well Roberts has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 28:29
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 28:29
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Wesley Roberts!
Wesley Roberts thanked the fans post fight for their support.