BEF 12 - Morales vs Gracie PBP Commentary

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Jamie Varner (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Roy Niga (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Roy Niga is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Varner
vs
Niga

173 cm
16
175 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

190 cm
21
290 lbs
0 - 36 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Inexperienced

BJJ White Belt
Counter fighter
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Jamie Varner!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 36 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Roy Niga!
The judges for this bout are Alexandre Firmino, Edson Gomes and Luis Engracia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Varner scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Varner lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Varner stalling.
Varner wants to advance to full mount but Niga doesn't think that's going to happen and regains full guard instead.
Niga wants to control but instead he gets his guard passed and Varner is now in half guard.
Varner lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
We're hearing some news coming in from back stage. It's official - Niga has eaten all the pies!
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Varner controlling the action here.
Varner throwing shots but Niga is blocking nicely.
Varner wants to control but Niga is keeping him busy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Varner working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Varner lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Niga wants to get back to full guard.
Varner content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.

Varner is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Niga is just riding it out for now. Varner eventually gives up the hold.
Niga on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Varner takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.

Varner is looking for a kimura but Niga is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Varner to get the leverage.
Varner wants to control but Niga is keeping him busy.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Varner connects with a nice short shot to Niga's temple.
Well, if Varner is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.

Varner is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Niga is trying to get back to full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Varner throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Varner connects with a nice short shot to Niga's temple.
Varner trying to control the pace.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Varner winds up and cracks Niga with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Varner trying to control the pace.
Varner landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Niga taking some punishment here, with Varner in his half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Varner sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Varner tries to pass to full mount but Niga defends it.

Varner is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Niga is just riding it out for now. Varner eventually gives up the hold.
Varner is taking a breather. Niga 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.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Varner lands with a punch from half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jamie Varner dominated that round.
That's time! Varner's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Varner drives through with a takedown into Niga's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Varner connects with a couple of short punches.
Varner landing some decent shots from guard.
Varner working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Varner works over Niga with some ground and pound from guard.
Varner is stalling in the full guard.
Varner lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Varner engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Varner is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Varner landing some decent shots from guard.
Varner trying to control but Niga is working from the bottom.
Niga being controlled here, momentarily.
Varner is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Niga can do to turn this around?
Varner lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Varner lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Varner trying to control but Niga is working from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Varner postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Varner makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Niga keeping moving, preventing Varner from controlling successfully.
Varner loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Varner trying to control the position from guard on top but Niga is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Varner is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Varner is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Varner stays in close to Niga's body and controls the position.
Varner lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Varner passes easily into side control. Nice work.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
Varner lands a decent elbow from side control.
Niga is trying to get back to half guard.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Varner wants to lay and pray for a moment but Niga keeps working.
Varner scoring with punches from side control.
Varner lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.

Varner is trying to get an arm triangle but Niga is defending well.
Varner wants to lay and pray for a moment but Niga keeps working.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Varner passes to full mount! That's big trouble for Niga!
Varner landing punches.
Varner takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Varner cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Varner is landing with some decent strikes but Niga is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Jamie Varner overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
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!
Varner landing strikes from the mount.

Niga is rocked!
Varner looking to control but Niga is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Whack. That's a big, big shot from Varner! Niga is out cold! This one is all over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:55 of round 2, we have a winner by way of KO (Strikes). Jamie Varner!
Jamie Varner thanked the fans post fight for their support.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
36%

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Manvel Gamburyan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Aleksander Krosnov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Aleksander Krosnov acknowledges the crowd's support as he enters the ring.

Gamburyan
vs
Krosnov

184 cm
18
200 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

180 cm
21
190 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Big heart

Good wrestler
Counter fighter
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Manvel Gamburyan!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Aleksander Krosnov!
The judges for this bout are Leandro Rodrigues, Paulo Santos and Daniel Cesar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Gamburyan shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Krosnov manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Gamburyan trying to control the position from guard on top but Krosnov is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Gamburyan tries to free his leg and advance position but Krosnov is retaining full guard.
Gamburyan is working hard here to advance position.

Gamburyan got a little sloppy there for a moment and Krosnov has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Gamburyan has managed to get both his arms back between Krosnov's legs - danger averted.
Krosnov looking to control.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Krosnov preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

Krosnov looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Gamburyan postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Krosnov looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Gamburyan throws an elbow that misses. Krosnov uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Gamburyan's guard. Nice move by Krosnov!

Gamburyan working a defensive guard here.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.

Krosnov drops back looking for a leg! Gamburyan is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Gamburyan manages to kick Krosnov off! Krosnov jumps back into Gamburyan's guard.
Gamburyan keeping moving, preventing Krosnov from controlling successfully.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Gamburyan is trying to keep Krosnov in close.
Krosnov passes Gamburyan's right leg, so he's now in half guard.

Krosnov looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.

Krosnov is looking for a kimura here.

Krosnov seems to be looking for submissions.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Krosnov trying to control the action but Gamburyan is working from the bottom.
Gamburyan manages to get to full guard.
Krosnov slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Gamburyan wants to sweep here but Krosnov controlling him for the moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Krosnov sitting in guard here, content to control.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

Gamburyan manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Krosnov on his heels. He'll look to pass Krosnov's guard now, I'm sure.
Krosnov looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Gamburyan trying to control the position from guard on top but Krosnov is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Krosnov had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Gamburyan defends it easily.
Gamburyan stays in close to Krosnov's body and controls the position.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Gamburyan stopping the sweep attempt from Krosnov.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Manvel Gamburyan dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Gamburyan shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Krosnov manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.

Krosnov throws his legs up looking for a submission but Gamburyan uses it to pass to side control.
Gamburyan trying to control the position but Krosnov is working away.
Krosnov is trying to improve his position.
The ground and pound from Gamburyan seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Krosnov looks to move to half guard but instead Gamburyan has passed into mount! Damn!
Krosnov is trying to escape the mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gamburyan controlling from mount.
Gamburyan with good strikes from the mount here!
Gamburyan is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Krosnov can do to turn this around?
Krosnov is desperately trying to improve his position but Gamburyan has a good base and remains in mount.
Gamburyan dominating with strikes here.
Gamburyan misses with a head shot.
Krosnov is wriggling around trying to escape.
The referee warns Krosnov that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Krosnov taking shots to the head.
Krosnov is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
We've been hearing that Gamburyan has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
Gamburyan connects with a couple of good shots from mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Krosnov is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Gamburyan looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
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!
Krosnov tries to lock up and control but Gamburyan gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Gamburyan raining down hammerfists from mount.
A nice elbow there by Gamburyan.
Krosnov tries to hold on but Gamburyan pushes him away.
Krosnov is trying to avoid being dragged into an even worse position than he's already in but Gamburyan is staying active.
Krosnov is wriggling around trying to escape.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Krosnov is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Gamburyan postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Krosnov looks a forlorn figure.
Krosnov can't escape the position.
Gamburyan with the ground and pound from mount.
Gamburyan raining down hammerfists from mount.
Krosnov is working to get back to half guard.
Krosnov wants to hold on but Gamburyan pushes him away.
Krosnov can't escape the position.
Gamburyan is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Gamburyan looking to finish Krosnov with some ground and pound. This is bad for Krosnov!
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Krosnov can do anything to dispel that myth.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gamburyan looking to control but Krosnov is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Krosnov is wriggling around trying to escape.
Gamburyan is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Krosnov can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Gamburyan unloading with bombs!
Gamburyan lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Krosnov tries to reverse the position but Gamburyan maintains control.
Gamburyan looking to control but Krosnov is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Krosnov is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Krosnov is in a horrible position here. Gamburyan smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Krosnov can't escape the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Manvel Gamburyan dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Gamburyan looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Krosnov gets full guard.
Gamburyan trying to control but Krosnov is working from the bottom.

Krosnov throws his legs up looking for a submission but Gamburyan uses it to pass to side control.
Gamburyan throwing shots but missing, from side control.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gamburyan is looking to take a break and control but Krosnov is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Krosnov takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Krosnov is trying to control Gamburyan's posture but Gamburyan avoids it.
Krosnov sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Nice strikes from Gamburyan there.
Krosnov is staying active underneath Gamburyan, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Krosnov tries to regain full guard. Instead though, Gamburyan has advanced to mount. Uh oh.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Gamburyan cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Krosnov tries to reverse the position but Gamburyan maintains control.
Krosnov regains half guard.
Gamburyan thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Gamburyan wants to lay and pray for a moment but Krosnov keeps working.

Krosnov is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Gamburyan pulls his head out easily.
Gamburyan lands strikes from half guard.
Krosnov wants to get back to full guard.
Krosnov is refusing to be controlled, as Gamburyan sits in half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Krosnov tries to get to full guard but Gamburyan has control of the leg.
Krosnov wants to control but Gamburyan is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Krosnov keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Gamburyan wants to take a breather but Krosnov is having none of it.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.

Gamburyan shoots in and bounces Krosnov off the ropes to secure the takedown into guard.
Gamburyan scoring with punches to the head and body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Krosnov had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Gamburyan defends it easily.
Krosnov preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Gamburyan throwing strikes but missing.
Gamburyan is working Krosnov over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Gamburyan wants to control from the top but Krosnov keeps moving.

Krosnov looking for a guillotine here but Gamburyan defends easily.
Aleksander Krosnov has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Manvel Gamburyan is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

Krosnov looking for a guillotine here but Gamburyan defends easily.

And that's the end of the fight!
Manvel Gamburyan showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Gamburyan has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight for Manvel Gamburyan!
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight for Manvel Gamburyan!
Judge Daniel Cesar scores the fight for Manvel Gamburyan!

Manvel Gamburyan wins by unanimous decision!
After winning the bout, Manvel Gamburyan thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
32%

Co-main event

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Jake Lewis (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Thiago Oliveira (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Oliveira has chosen One stop as his entrance music. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Lewis
vs
Oliveira

173 cm
26
153 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

163 cm
18
135 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Cuts easily

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

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 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Jake Lewis!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Thiago Oliveira!
The judges for this bout are Luis Engracia, Edson Gomes and Emerson Jorge.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Excellent takedown into side control there by Lewis.
Lewis scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Oliveira to see if he's OK.
Lewis working the head and body with strikes.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Oliveira is trying to get back to his feet.
Lewis controls the position.
Oliveira is trying to get back to his feet.
The referee asks Lewis politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Lewis prefers to stall for the moment though.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lewis working the head with strikes.
Lewis is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Oliveira will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lewis is working Oliveira over with some ground and pound from side control.
Lewis scoring with punches from side control.
Lewis landing strikes.
Oliveira really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Lewis. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Lewis landing a few strikes.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Lewis looks up at the clock and then as Oliveira takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Lewis smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Lewis creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lewis scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Oliveira to see if he's OK.

Oliveira is rocked!
Lewis in side control lands a decent elbow.
Oliveira is still in real trouble! Can Lewis finish him?
Lewis cracks Oliveira with a big elbow.
Lewis working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Oliveira tries to wriggle free to get back to his feet but he's given up his back! Oops.
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!
Lewis scores with strikes from the back.
Lewis scoring with big shots to the body. Oliveira is looking for a way out. A despairing look towards the ref and the official steps in to stop the fight. Oliveira was obviously done but didn't want to tap out.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:59 of round 1, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Jake Lewis!

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
42%

Main event

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between James Morales (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Royce Graice (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). James Morales has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Morales
vs
Graice

174 cm
21
153 lbs
4 - 0 - 0

150 cm
25
145 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Good knees
Good chin

BJJ Brown Belt
Brawler
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the featherweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, James Morales!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Royce Graice!
The judges for this bout are Thiago Cunha, Seu Braga and Mauricio Rocha.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Graice ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Morales moves away.
Graice throws a body kick that misses.
Graice swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Graice tries a head kick but it misses.
Graice throws a low kick but Morales moves out of range easily.
Morales looked to counter with a high kick but didn't commit.
Graice just misses with a punch to the body.

Graice clinches up with Morales and pushes him back against the ropes.
Graice is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Morales is pushing Graice up against the ropes, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
The referee is keeping an eye on Morales - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Morales lands a nice knee to the body.
Graice takes a knee right on the jaw!
Morales's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Graice jumps guard but Morales stands there with Graice around his waist. Graice gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Morales crunches a lovely knee into Graice's ribcage.
Morales landing knees to the body.
Morales holding his opponent close, against the ropes.
Morales utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Morales landing knees to the body.
Morales landing knees to the body.
Graice is trying to break the clinch but Morales has him pressed against the ropes.
Morales lands a knee to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Morales obliges.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Morales stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Morales with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Morales obliges.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Graice tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Morales landing knees to the head.
Morales holding his opponent close, against the ropes.
Graice tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Morales just stands there and leans against the ropes.
Graice is trying to break the clinch but Morales has him pressed against the ropes.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Morales obliges.
Morales is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Morales stops a takedown attempt from Graice.
James Morales has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Royce Graice.
Graice looks winded!
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Morales dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the ropes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Morales gets through Graice's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Morales connects with a nasty looking knee right to Graice's face.
Morales landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Morales crunches a lovely knee into Graice's ribcage.
Morales scores with a knee to the head.

It looks like Royce Graice has been cut.
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!
Morales connects with a knee to the head.
Morales putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Graice in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Morales with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Knees to the body from Morales.
The referee calls for Morales to work.
Morales content to slow the pace in the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

James Morales dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Royce Graice's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Morales moves into range and clinches up with Graice.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Morales obliges.
Morales leaning against his opponent.
Morales lands a good knee to the midsection. Graice won't want to take too many of those.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Morales.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Morales using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Morales landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Morales unloads a knee to the mid-section.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Morales connects with a nasty looking knee right to Graice's face.
Graice tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Morales smiles and moves away.

Graice gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stalling in the clinch from Morales.
Graice is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the ropes enables Morales to keep the fight standing.
Morales unloads a knee to the mid-section. Graice lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Graice is breathing heavily.
Morales connects with a knee to the head.
Graice takes a knee right on the jaw!
Morales with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Morales is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Graice can do to turn this around?
Morales landing knees to the body.
Morales stalling.
Morales utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Morales gets underhooks to prevent Graice's takedown attempt.
James Morales has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Royce Graice.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Morales unloads a knee to the mid-section. Graice lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Graice can't break the clinch.
Graice throws an elbow that misses.
Morales dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the ropes.
A battle for position here, against the ropes.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Morales obliges.
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!
A knee to the head by Morales.
Morales crunches a lovely knee into Graice's ribcage.
Morales lands with a short shot to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Morales is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Morales lands a knee to the body.
Morales just leaning against Graice, taking a breather.
A knee to the head by Morales.
Morales landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
James Morales has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Graice takes a knee right on the jaw!
Stalling in the clinch from Morales.
Morales with a knee to the head.

Graice is rocked!
Graice takes a knee right on the jaw!
Graice is still on wobbly legs! Can Morales finish him?
Morales lands a big knee to the head and Graice goes down! Morales pounces and finishes the fight with strikes! He jumps to his feet and celebrates with the crowd!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:51 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). James Morales!
James Morales retains his featherweight title!
James Morales seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.