MCC 112: Christian vs Flay PBP Commentary

Co-main event

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Jose Diaz (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Paul Taylor (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Diaz comes to the cage accompanied by Jamiroquai - Deeper Underground. Well, I have no idea who's going to take this one!

Diaz
vs
Taylor

188 cm
29
185 lbs
8 - 4 - 0

185 cm
29
195 lbs
16 - 16 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent MT
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Decent boxing
Granite chin

Condemned

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 8 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Jose Diaz!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 16 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Paul Taylor!
The judges for this bout are Alec Ball, Steve Smith and Dillan Fox.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Diaz tries to close the distance and clinch but Taylor swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Taylor throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.

Diaz rushes Taylor and presses him up against the cage.
Diaz trying to stall but Taylor improves his position.

Diaz tightens his grip and picks Taylor up, before dumping him to the ground. Taylor manages to land in guard.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Taylor 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.
Diaz is looking to stand up but Taylor won't let him.
Diaz wants to control from the top but Taylor keeps moving.
Taylor is trying to keep Diaz in close.
Diaz passes Taylor's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Taylor is trying to control but can't.
Diaz wants to stand up but Taylor has a hold of him and won't allow it.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Taylor is trying to control but can't.
Taylor is trying to avoid being dragged into an even worse position than he's already in but Diaz is staying active.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Taylor is trying to get back to full guard.
Taylor moves into full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Diaz tries to free his leg and advance position but Taylor is retaining full guard.
Diaz passes Taylor's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Diaz tries to stand but can't do so whilst Taylor controls his leg.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Taylor makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Taylor.

Taylor is looking for a triangle but Diaz pushes his legs off easily.
Diaz sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Diaz trying to pass the guard. He's being very persistent here but Taylor manages to land a sweep and now he's on top!
Diaz wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Diaz is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.
Taylor is pressed up against the cage. Diaz has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Taylor down to the mat. Taylor avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Diaz tries to clinch but Taylor moves out of range.

Diaz has closed the distance and engaged Taylor in a clinch.
Diaz looking to throw knees to the head but Taylor is blocking nicely.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Taylor managing to block the knees to the body from Diaz.
Taylor misses with the head strike.
Diaz using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Diaz lands a damaging elbow.
Taylor avoiding damage as Diaz throws knees to the body.
Diaz misses with a knee to the head.
Diaz letting Taylor take a breather here.
Diaz misses with an elbow strike.
Diaz lands a nice elbow.
Diaz lands a left hand that snaps the head of Taylor backwards.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Diaz misses with a knee to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Diaz with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Taylor throws a punch but it's blocked by Diaz.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Diaz blocks an uppercut.

Taylor's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Diaz lands with an uppercut that bounces Taylor off the cage and back into range.
Taylor throws a head kick that misses.
Taylor jabs Diaz to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Taylor misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

Diaz moves into range and clinches up with Taylor.
Taylor throws a head punch that misses.
Taylor misses with the head strike.
Diaz tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Taylor avoids it.
Diaz throws a knee to the head but misses.
Taylor throws a head punch that misses.

Diaz lands a takedown into guard.

Taylor pushes Diaz off and scrambles back to his feet.
Jose Diaz seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Taylor pulls out of a head kick attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nice takedown defense from Taylor. No joy for Diaz on that attempt.
Diaz moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Taylor wants to land a leg kick but Diaz is out of range.
Taylor tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Diaz moves out of range as Taylor throws a body kick.
Taylor throws a body punch but Diaz moves out of range.
Taylor throws a sloppy head kick and Diaz moves out of range easily.

Taylor is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Diaz's half guard.
Taylor wants to take a breather but Diaz is having none of it.
Diaz keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Diaz is controlling Taylor's position as best he can from this difficult position.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Taylor is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jose Diaz dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Diaz.
Diaz shoots in but no luck this time.
Diaz tries to close the distance and clinch up but Taylor swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Taylor walks into a left hand.
Paul Taylor is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Diaz closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Diaz throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Taylor blocks it with crossed arms.
Taylor misses with a short punch on the inside.
Taylor misses with a hook from the clinch.
Taylor blocks an elbow strike from Diaz.
Diaz connects with a knee to the head.

It looks like Paul Taylor has been cut.
Diaz has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Taylor after a bit of a struggle.
Diaz misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Taylor.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Diaz landing knees to the head.
Taylor lands with a short shot to the head.
Diaz with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Taylor misses with a hook from the clinch.
Taylor fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Taylor just leaning against Diaz, taking a breather.
Taylor tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Taylor throws a head punch that misses.
Diaz connects with a knee to the head.

Diaz escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Taylor closes this distance looking for a takedown but Diaz circles away.
Diaz avoids the head kick by Taylor.
Taylor is looking to chop away at Diaz's legs.
Taylor tries to land a front kick but Diaz steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Taylor throws the kick towards the body but Diaz avoids it.
A shot to the liver by Diaz. Beautiful body shot.
The fight stays on the outside here - Diaz looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
The fight stays on the outside here - Diaz looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Taylor crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Diaz - the referee stops the clock and Taylor gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Diaz. Taylor manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Taylor throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Taylor tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Diaz paws at him with a jab and circles away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taylor throws a head kick but Diaz moves out of range.
Taylor misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Taylor tries to score with a low kick but Diaz moves his leg out of the way.
Diaz tests Taylor's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Taylor throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.

Taylor shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Taylor showed some decent athleticism there.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Diaz is trying to stand up here but Taylor is controlling him well.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Taylor in particular looking to stall.
Taylor trying to mount his opponent but Diaz defends it.
Taylor is looking to take a break and control but Diaz is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Taylor is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Diaz is just riding it out for now. Taylor eventually gives up the hold.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Diaz tries to kick Taylor off but Taylor keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Diaz is looking to control Taylor's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Diaz avoid being mounted?
Diaz is staying active underneath Taylor, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Taylor prevents Diaz from standing back up.
Diaz is concentrating on defense, preventing Taylor from advancing position.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Taylor tries a head kick but it misses.
Taylor tries a head kick but it misses.
Taylor tries a low kick but Diaz avoids it.
Diaz tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Jose Diaz is winning the standup battle so far.
Taylor goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Diaz is looking to clinch but Taylor is avoiding it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taylor is looking to chop away at Diaz's legs.
Diaz tries to clinch up but Taylor circles away and keeps his distance.
Diaz tries to clinch up.
Taylor misses with a head kick.
Diaz tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Taylor manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Diaz moves out of range of the body kick from Taylor.
Taylor throws a sloppy head kick and Diaz moves out of range easily.

Diaz closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Diaz lands in his opponent's guard.
Taylor is trying to control the position but Diaz postures up.
Diaz is pushing down on Taylor's leg trying to pass to half guard. Taylor is fighting to maintain full guard but Diaz has managed to sneak the leg through.
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!
Diaz wants to stand up but Taylor is controlling the position.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Diaz is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Taylor makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Taylor.
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 Jose Diaz will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Paul Taylor's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Taylor swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Taylor.
Taylor misses with a kick to the body.
Taylor pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Diaz forces Taylor back against the cage and clinches.
A head punch on the inside from Taylor fails to land.
Diaz landing knees to the head.
Diaz using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Taylor has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Diaz working Taylor over with knees to the body.
Still in the clinch, Diaz scores with a nice short uppercut.

Diaz breaks from the clinch.
A jab from Diaz does it's job there.
Taylor moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Taylor throws out a leg kick but Diaz moves out of range and Taylor only half commits.
Taylor takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Taylor tries to close the distance and clinch up but Diaz swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Taylor misses with a head kick.
A jab lands there for Diaz.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Diaz is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Taylor pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Diaz instigates a clinch.

Diaz breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

Diaz decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Diaz is keen to just control but Taylor is a slippery customer.

Taylor is looking to regain full guard. He's left an arm up in the air though and Diaz has latched onto it... Big trouble! Diaz pivots for an armbar - it's in tight and it Taylor is tapping in no time flat! Great counter grappling there from Diaz!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:45 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Jose Diaz!
After the big win, Jose Diaz made sure to do all the important stuff like thanking his sponsors 5th Round Clothing and telling the interviewer how much he loves him.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
100%

Main event

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Jack Christian (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kiel Flay (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Flay has chosen Diabolic- Modern Day Future as his entrance music. 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.

Christian
vs
Flay

188 cm
34
210 lbs
24 - 12 - 0

194 cm
27
202 lbs
8 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 24 - 12 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Jack Christian!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Kiel Flay!
The judges for this bout are William Peck, Ian Loll and Alec Ball.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Christian throws a right and a left that both miss.
Christian shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Flay sprawls well. Flay wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Christian gets slowly back to his feet.
Flay buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Flay scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Christian throws a leg kick
and Flay counters with a slapping leg kick.
Christian fails to land the takedown.
Christian tries a low kick but Flay avoids it.
Flay misses with a body shot.
Jack Christian seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Christian lands with a shot to the body.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Flay lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Christian has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Christian and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Christian dives in and grabs Flay's left leg, looking for a takedown. Flay pushes down on Christian's head and hops out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jack Christian. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Christian missing with a left hand there. Flay was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Flay scores with a shot to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Christian shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Flay punishes Christian's body with a nice straight punch.
Christian misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Flay.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Christian blocks the body kick.
Christian scores with the left hand. Flay knows he should have avoided that one.
Christian fails with a takedown attempt.
Christian lands a nice hook to Flay's body. Flay takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Flay misses with a head kick.
Christian misses with an uppercut. Flay saw that one coming.
Flay takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Flay stuffs the takedown.
Christian misses with a left hand
and Christian takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Flay throws a shot from downtown. Christian moves away and avoids it.
Flay misses the body punch

and Christian counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Flay keeping hold of Christian's head, controlling as best he can.
Flay manages to get to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Flay had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Christian defends it easily.
Christian has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Flay pulls Christian in close to his closed guard and prevents Christian from doing any damage or advancing position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Christian loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Flay keeping full guard, as Christian tries to pass.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Christian accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Christian throwing strikes from guard but Flay blocks nicely.
Christian throws an elbow that misses. Flay uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Christian's guard. Nice move by Flay!
Christian preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Flay wants to control from the top but Christian keeps moving.
Flay looking to sit in guard and control but Christian gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Flay wants to sweep but no luck.
Flay utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Christian makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Christian keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Flay's head.
Flay working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Christian.
Flay seems keen to control Christian's posture.
Flay trying to control the position.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Christian is looking to work some ground and pound but Flay has wrist control.
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 Jack Christian will probably get the nod.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Christian wants to slow Flay down by chopping away at his legs.
Christian with a poor takedown
and Flay cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Flay throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Flay thumps Christian with a low kick.
Flay stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Flay wants it to stay on the feet.
Flay throws a leg kick

and Christian counters with a nice double leg into guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Flay is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Flay seems to be working for a kimura but Christian defends the submission attempt.
Flay thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Christian's head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Christian blocking the ground and pound attempt from Flay.
Christian keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Flay is keen to just control but Christian is a slippery customer.

Flay seems to be looking for submissions.
Flay is looking to advance position but Christian won't allow it.
Jack Christian overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Christian is refusing to be controlled, as Flay sits in half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Christian regains full guard. Nicely done.
Christian controls Flay momentarily but Flay frees himself.
Flay throwing strikes from guard but Christian blocks nicely.
Christian is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Christian wants to sweep here but Flay controlling him for the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Christian wants to get back to his feet but Flay passes into half guard.
Flay working to pass to mount. He's got his hand pressing down on Christian's thigh. Christian counters though and makes it back to full guard.
Flay controlling from the top position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Flay looking to sit in guard and control but Christian gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Christian wants to pass the guard but Flay is keeping the position.
Christian is looking to work some ground and pound but Flay has wrist control.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Christian is looking to work some ground and pound but Flay has wrist control.
Flay not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Christian controls from within his opponent's guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Kiel Flay will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Flay wants to clinch up but Christian keeps it at a distance.
Flay lands a leg kick that knocks Christian off balance momentarily.
Christian checks a leg kick.
Christian misses with an uppercut.
Christian lands a slapping body shot.
Kiel Flay seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Flay throws a sloppy head kick and Christian moves out of range easily.
Christian swings and misses with a hook to the body.
A jab from Christian finds it's way through Flay's defenses.

Christian scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Christian looks to land a strike but Flay avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Christian throwing strikes from guard but Flay blocks nicely.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Christian accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Christian throws an elbow that misses. Flay uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Christian's guard. Nice move by Flay!
Flay throws a big right hand that misses.
Christian keeping moving, preventing Flay from controlling successfully.
Christian is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Flay trying to control but Christian is working from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Flay throws an elbow that misses. Christian uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Flay's guard. Nice move by Christian!
Christian throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Flay works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Flay is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Christian throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Christian trying to control but Flay is working from the bottom.
Flay is trying to control the position but Christian postures up.
Christian looking to sit in guard and control but Flay gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Christian being controlled here, momentarily.
Flay stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Christian swivels though and keeps the full guard.

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.
Flay in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Christian misses with a few strikes there.
Flay uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Christian throws a hook but Flay blocks it.
Flay defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Christian.
Christian misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Flay counters with a nice low kick that buckles Christian's knee momentarily.
A low kick from Christian misses
and Flay connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Flay scores with a nice head shot.
A good leg kick by Flay.
Flay on the wrong end of a nice hook.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Flay thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Christian if he has to take too many more of those.
Christian wants to land a leg kick but Flay is out of range.
Christian throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Flay keeps Christian at a distance using the push kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close third round but Kiel Flay just about did enough to take it.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Christian misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Christian tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Flay is able to avoid easily.
Flay scores with a head kick.
Flay tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Christian shoots for a takedown but Flay saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Flay ducks under a wild hook from Christian.
Christian fails with the takedown
and Flay counters with a good low kick that Christian was not able to check.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jack Christian. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Flay paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Flay connects with a right hand. Christian shakes it off.

Christian is rocked!
Christian just misses with a punch to the body.
Oh Christian is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Flay cracks Christian with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
and Flay counters with a massive uppercut that badly hurts Christian! He's just covering up as Flay starts to tee off till the referee steps in and stops the fight!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:56 of round 4, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Kiel Flay!
Kiel Flay is the new light heavyweight champion!
A relieved looking Kiel Flay thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.