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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Rico Cole (ranked 500 p4p, 64 weight class) and Francis Fitzpatrick (ranked 631 p4p, 78 weight class). Cole comes to the cage accompanied by Gerardo's Rico Suave. Francis Fitzpatrick has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?
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| 182 cm
33
168 lbs
24 - 10 - 1 |
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180 cm
30
165 lbs
25 - 17 - 0 |
Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible |
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Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank |
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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of
24 - 10 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Rico Cole!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
25 - 17 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Francis Fitzpatrick!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Sano, Yukihiro Yamamoto and Kenichi Hosakawa.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Fitzpatrick blocks the body kick.
Cole scores with a shot to the body.
Jab by Cole.
Cole misses the jab.
Cole looks to land a body kick but Fitzpatrick moved away.
Fitzpatrick clinches up with Cole and pushes him back against the cage.
Fitzpatrick throws an elbow that misses.
Fitzpatrick dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Cole tries to circle away but Fitzpatrick has him pinned against the cage.
Cole avoids a wild elbow strike from Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick blocks a body shot from Cole.
With the fighters up against the cage, Fitzpatrick throws an elbow but misses.
Fitzpatrick looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
A short body shot lands from Fitzpatrick as the two fighters clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cole lands with a right to the head.
Fitzpatrick scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Cole breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Cole tried to score with a low kick but Fitzpatrick checks it.
Fitzpatrick wants to clinch up but Cole keeps it at a distance.
Fitzpatrick will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Cole looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Cole misses with a leg kick
letting Fitzpatrick counter with a right hand.
Nice shot lands for Cole.
Cole takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Cole dodges the punch combination from Fitzpatrick.
Cole takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Cole is looking to score with low kicks.
Cole goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Cole throws a jab but it's blocked by Fitzpatrick.
Cole has been working on his boxing with his coaches at DOG HOUSE!! in the buildup to the fight.
Cole slips a jab from Fitzpatrick.
Some bone on bone action there as Fitzpatrick checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Jab, jab by Fitzpatrick - just one landing.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A nice inside leg kick there by Fitzpatrick. That's going to slow Cole down.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fitzpatrick slips a jab from Cole.
Fitzpatrick swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Cole throws a nice outside leg kick.
Cole thumps Fitzpatrick with a low kick.
Cole throws a solid leg kick but Fitzpatrick takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Cole.
Cole throws out a loose jab but Fitzpatrick uses good head movement to avoid it.
Cole keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A swing and a miss from Fitzpatrick.
Cole misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Cole takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Cole throws a shot to the body.
Cole moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Cole will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
A swing and a miss from Cole.
Fitzpatrick looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Cole swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Good work by Fitzpatrick as he checks the leg kick.
Fitzpatrick walks into a stiff left hand from Cole.
Fitzpatrick just misses with a punch to the body.
Cole pulls out of a head kick attempt.
A looping hook to the body misses from Cole. Fitzpatrick does a little dance to reset his feet.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fitzpatrick lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Rico Cole seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Cole wants to slow Fitzpatrick down by chopping away at his legs.
Fitzpatrick throws out a counter right but Cole avoids it with no problem.
Fitzpatrick fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Cole manages to avoid it.
A lazy left from Cole finds it's target.
Fitzpatrick ducks under a wild hook from Cole.
Cole ducks under a wild hook from Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick misses with a right hand
and Cole cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Fitzpatrick throws a hook but Cole avoids it easily.
Cole throws a leg kick but Fitzpatrick sees it coming and moves out of range.
Cole misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Cole throws the left hand but Fitzpatrick avoids the punch easily.
Cole throws a leg kick that is checked
and Fitzpatrick counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Fitzpatrick lands with a shot to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Fitzpatrick swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Cole.
Cole is rocked!
Fitzpatrick bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Oh Cole is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Fitzpatrick misses with a lunging right hand
letting Cole counter with a right hand.
Cole seems to have got his legs back now.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fitzpatrick throws a body shot but no joy.
Cole lands with a shot to the body.
Cole wants to slow Fitzpatrick down by chopping away at his legs.
Fitzpatrick fails in his attempt to clinch.
Cole listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Fitzpatrick looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Cole looked to counter with a high kick but didn't commit.
Cole swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Fitzpatrick throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Nice shot lands for Cole.
Fitzpatrick on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Cole. Cole obviously looking to wear him down.
Cole swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Fitzpatrick moves into the clinch.
Cole can't find room to land a body shot as Fitzpatrick controls the action.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Cole misses with a punch on the inside.
Cole blocks an elbow strike from Fitzpatrick.
Cole lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Fitzpatrick backwards.
Cole pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Fitzpatrick tries to clinch but fails miserably
letting Cole counter with a right hand.
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 Rico Cole will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!
Cole misses with an uppercut. Fitzpatrick saw that one coming.
Fitzpatrick is looking to clinch.
Fitzpatrick closes the distance and clinches.
Fitzpatrick blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Fitzpatrick scores with a shoulder strike.
Fitzpatrick throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Cole manages to break the clinch.
Cole swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Fitzpatrick throws out a loose jab but Cole uses good head movement to avoid it.
Fitzpatrick misses with a looping right.
Fitzpatrick misses with a body shot.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cole takes a swing at Fitzpatrick's ribcage but misses.
Fitzpatrick tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Cole was well out of range. Poor timing from Fitzpatrick.
Cole is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Cole 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.
Cole uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Fitzpatrick.
Cole on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Fitzpatrick moves into the clinch.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Cole's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Fitzpatrick checks the leg kick.
Fitzpatrick just misses with a punch to the body.
Nice shot lands for Fitzpatrick.
Cole shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Cole throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Fitzpatrick tries to counter by closing the distance.
Cole is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Cole blocks a jab.
That kick from Cole tenderised Fitzpatrick's leg. Fitzpatrick is trying to keep his angry face on.
Nice shot lands for Cole.
Cole misses with a leg kick
enabling Fitzpatrick to counter with a crisp jab.
Fitzpatrick staying out of range there.
Fitzpatrick defending well as Cole loads up on a big left hand.
Cole on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Cole looks to land a right hand but Fitzpatrick moved out of range.
Fitzpatrick throws a body shot but no joy.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Fitzpatrick misses with a straight left.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cole attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Cole swings for the body but Fitzpatrick moves out of range.
Fitzpatrick rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Cole moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Fitzpatrick ducks under a wild hook from Cole.
Cole throws a leg kick but Fitzpatrick sees it coming and moves out of range.
Rico Cole is winning the standup battle so far.
Cole tries to bum rush Fitzpatrick with a series of wild strikes but Fitzpatrick uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Fitzpatrick with a nice cross.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Cole throws a leg kick which misses Fitzpatrick's front leg but catches the back leg as Fitzpatrick tries to avoid it.
Fitzpatrick misses with a body shot.
Fitzpatrick slips under a jab from Cole.
Fitzpatrick lands with a straight right. Cole didn't see that one coming.
Fitzpatrick clinches with his opponent.
Francis Fitzpatrick seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Fitzpatrick lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Cole backwards.
Fitzpatrick lands with a short shot to the head.
Fitzpatrick lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Cole breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cole connects with a leg kick. Fitzpatrick looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Cole keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Cole misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick misses with an uppercut. Cole saw that one coming.
Fitzpatrick swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Cole throws the left hand but Fitzpatrick avoids the punch easily.
Fitzpatrick takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Fitzpatrick lands with a hook. Cole tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Cole stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Cole uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Fitzpatrick.
Cole throws a push kick but Fitzpatrick slaps the foot to one side.
Cole scores with a shot to the body.
Cole throws the left hand but Fitzpatrick avoids the punch easily.
Fitzpatrick thuds a left hand into Cole's body.
Fitzpatrick fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
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!
Fitzpatrick rushes Cole and presses him up against the cage.
Fitzpatrick lands an elbow just above Cole 's eye.
It looks like Rico Cole has been cut.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fitzpatrick lands an elbow inside that Cole shrugs off.
Cole blocks an elbow strike from Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick misses with some punches.
A shot in the inside from Cole.
Fitzpatrick swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Cole breaks the clinch.
Fitzpatrick is looking to clinch.
Cole will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Cole wants to land a leg kick but Fitzpatrick is out of range.
Fitzpatrick takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Fitzpatrick thuds his right hand into Cole's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Fitzpatrick checks a leg kick.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A decent looking cross lands there for Cole.
Cole jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Cole scores with a head kick. Fitzpatrick tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Cole takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Francis Fitzpatrick showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Rico Cole's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!
Fitzpatrick looks to land a right hand but Cole moved out of range.
Cole tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Fitzpatrick was well out of range. Poor timing from Cole.
Fitzpatrick throws a big shot that misses.
A jab from Fitzpatrick misses.
Cole throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Fitzpatrick doesn't manage to clinch there - Cole circles away.
Fitzpatrick throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Fitzpatrick misses with a shot to the body
and Cole counters with a slapping leg kick.
Fitzpatrick steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Cole.
Good standup being displayed there by Cole as he connects with a hook.
Fitzpatrick moves out of range of the leg kick from Cole.
Fitzpatrick tries to counter by closing the distance.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Fitzpatrick throws the left hand but Cole avoids the punch easily.
Fitzpatrick takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Fitzpatrick looks to land a combination but Cole avoids it well.
It looked like Cole wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Fitzpatrick misses with an uppercut. Cole saw that one coming.
A quick step to the side and Cole tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.
Cole takes one on the button.
A jab from Cole misses.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Cole cracks a nice hook into Fitzpatrick's ribs.
Cole lands a nice shot to the body.
Cole dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Fitzpatrick. That did some damage!
Cole slips a jab from Fitzpatrick.
Cole throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Cole is looking to slow Fitzpatrick down with leg kicks.
Cole loads up on a big right hand but Fitzpatrick slips the punch.
A little jabbing left from Fitzpatrick on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Cole throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Fitzpatrick stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Nice defenses there by Cole.
Cole on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Fitzpatrick throws a body punch but Cole moves out of range.
Fitzpatrick just manages to avoid a counter high kick fromCole.
A looping hook to the body misses from Fitzpatrick. Cole does a little dance to reset his feet.
Cole rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Fitzpatrick moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Cole slips under a jab.
Cole keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cole throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Cole cracks a nice hook into Fitzpatrick's ribs.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Fitzpatrick uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Cole.
Fitzpatrick throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Cole cracks Fitzpatrick with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Nice body punch from Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Cole.
Fitzpatrick has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Cole.
A big left from Fitzpatrick misses.
Fitzpatrick lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Cole at a distance.
Cole uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick thuds his right hand into Cole's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Fitzpatrick swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Cole has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Fitzpatrick finds it's way round the side to connect with Cole's head.
Cole throws a low kick but it's checked well by Fitzpatrick.
Cole throws a half hearted mid kick.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cole lands a glancing blow to the side of Fitzpatrick's head.
Cole uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Fitzpatrick.
Cole lands a really nice looking cross but Fitzpatrick seems unphased.
Cole takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Fitzpatrick rushes Cole and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Cole can't find room to land a body shot as Fitzpatrick controls the action.
Fitzpatrick creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Cole's defenses.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Cole.
Fitzpatrick lands a body shot.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Fitzpatrick has a couple of punches blocked by Cole.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Cole.
Cole breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Fitzpatrick looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Fitzpatrick throws out a loose jab but Cole uses good head movement to avoid it.
Cole misses with a hook.
Fitzpatrick connects with a jab.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
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!
Cole slips under a jab from Fitzpatrick.
Cole swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Fitzpatrick closes the distance and clinches.
Fitzpatrick tries to throw a body punch but Cole avoids it by throwing Fitzpatrick back against the cage.
Fitzpatrick's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Fitzpatrick tries to work over Cole's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Cole misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Fitzpatrick has a couple of punches blocked by Cole.
Fitzpatrick blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Fitzpatrick fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Fitzpatrick lands with a short head shot on the inside.
A left hand lands to the body for Cole.
Fitzpatrick lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Cole manages to break the clinch.
Fitzpatrick moves into the clinch.
A short uppercut from Fitzpatrick.
Cole wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Cole misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Fitzpatrick.
Nice body punch from Cole.
And that's the end of the fight!
Francis Fitzpatrick comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Fitzpatrick 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 Shigeki Sano scores the fight 28:29
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 28:29
Judge Kenichi Hosakawa scores the fight 28:29
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Francis Fitzpatrick!
Francis Fitzpatrick spent the whole post fight interview bigging himself up. It didn't go down that well with the fans after a while as they thought it was a bit arrogant.
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
78% |
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