PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Dennis Cruz (ranked 4633 p4p, 4417 weight class) and Joe Sapp (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Sapp has chosen Walk-Pantera as his entrance music. The key to victory for Dennis Cruz has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Cruz
vs
Sapp

181 cm
18
210
1 - 0 - 0

192 cm
25
205
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Good chin

Good takedowns
Counter fighter
Very confident

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Dennis Cruz!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Joe Sapp!
The judges for this bout are Winston Alpacca, Peter Branson and Dirk Anderson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cruz cracks Sapp with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Cruz scores with a nice right hand.
Cruz lands with a cross.
Cruz moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Sapp looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.

Sapp dives in and scores a takedown into Cruz's guard.
Sapp controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Sapp trying to control the position from guard on top but Cruz is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Cruz 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.

Sapp drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Sapp jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.

Sapp thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Sapp's corner is telling him to maintain position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Sapp drops back looking for a leg! Cruz is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Cruz manages to kick Sapp off! Sapp jumps back into Cruz's guard.
Sapp stands and throws Cruz's legs to the side, diving into side control.

Sapp thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cruz is looking to regain half guard here but Sapp keeps moving and retains side control.
Sapp postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Sapp connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Cruz some visible discomfort.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Sapp is pausing for a moment. What's he doing? It looks like he's clearing his nose. Oh dude! He's shot a load of snot all down Cruz's shoulder. That is not cool.

Sapp working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Cruz is being controlled here.

Sapp is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Cruz knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Sapp content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Sapp stands up.
Cruz lands with a hook. Sapp tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Cruz scores with a hook.
Cruz could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Cruz scores with a crisp jab that stopped Sapp in his tracks.
Sapp looks to land a combination but Cruz avoids it well.
It looks like Cruz has been trying to sharpen up his punching technique, as it looks crisper than last time we saw him.
Cruz with a hook.
Cruz uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Sapp has time to react.
A left and a right from Cruz both land. Nice combination.

Sapp is rocked!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cruz cracks a nice hook into Sapp's ribs.
Sapp is still on wobbly legs! Can Cruz finish him?
Sapp looks winded!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Cruz shakes his hands by his side, trying to relax. Sapp takes his eyes off the ball for a moment - Cruz sees the opportunity and cracks him with a massive hook! Sapp bends double and collapses on top of himself - he's out! The crowd are going absolutely nuts! Wow, what a knockout!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:10 of round 1, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). Dennis Cruz!
During a confident post fight interview, Dennis Cruz thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.
In defeat, Joe Sapp stepped up to the mic, saying 'Congratulations to my opponent and his team. he was the better man tonight'.