PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Pablo Rodriguez (ranked 2930 p4p, 6251 weight class) and Claude Dacre (ranked 285 p4p, 468 weight class). The fight MMA fans around the world have waited their entire lives for!

Rodriguez
vs
Dacre

180 cm
26
150
14 - 12 - 1

179 cm
27
154
9 - 11 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

BJJ Red Belt
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

Conviction

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 14 - 12 - 1, fighting out of Tokyo, Pablo Rodriguez!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Claude Dacre!
The judges for this bout are Paul Aken, Paulsen Ambrosius and Nard Betker.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Dacre closes the distance and clinches.

Dacre breaks from the clinch.

Dacre gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Dacre jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Rodriguez walks away with a smile on his face. Dacre gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Rodriguez enables Dacre to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Rodriguez manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Dacre trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Dacre loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Rodriguez manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Dacre manages to get himself to full guard.

Rodriguez has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Dacre is proving hard to escape from.
Rodriguez wants to stand and escape but instead Dacre has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.

Rodriguez trying to control the position here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rodriguez working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Dacre.
Dacre pushes down on Rodriguez's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Rodriguez trying to control but Dacre postures up.
Dacre wants to lay and pray for a moment but Rodriguez keeps working.
Rodriguez is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Rodriguez is doing well to avoid being mounted. He's controlling the position at the moment.
Dacre is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Rodriguez is looking to control Dacre's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Rodriguez avoid being mounted?
Dacre slips a nice elbow through Rodriguez's hands, connecting with Rodriguez's forehead.
Rodriguez controlling the position well.
Dacre has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rodriguez has hold of Dacre's hands but Dacre slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Rodriguez trying to control but Dacre postures up.
Rodriguez is refusing to be controlled, as Dacre sits in half guard.
Rodriguez controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.
Dacre wants to pass the guard but Rodriguez is defending well.
Rodriguez is concentrating on defense, preventing Dacre from advancing position.
Rodriguez looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.
Rodriguez is trying to maintain the position but Dacre is very close to passing his half guard.
My spies in Doc Dannis Death Squad inform me that Dacre has been getting involved in the gym's BJJ sparring sessions. Let's see whether that pays dividends!
Dacre with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Rodriguez is trying to control but can't.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rodriguez wants to improve his position but Dacre is controlling well.
Rodriguez has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Dacre is working away from the top position though.
Rodriguez controlling the position well.
Dacre wants to control but Rodriguez is keeping him busy.
Dacre not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Rodriguez keeps control of the position for the meantime.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rodriguez keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Dacre is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Rodriguez!
Dacre trying to control but Rodriguez is having none of it.
Rodriguez tries to hold on but Dacre pushes him away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rodriguez is in a bad position, trying to hold on for dear life but he is really struggling to maintain any sort of control.
Dacre in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Rodriguez is squirming around, avoiding Dacre's attempts to control the action.
Dacre controlling from mount.
Rodriguez wants to control but Dacre is having none of it.
Dacre controlling his opponent.
Dacre avoids the attempt from Rodriguez to control.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Rodriguez in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Rodriguez tries to hold on but Dacre pushes him away.
Dacre can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Rodriguez is looking to escape.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Claude Dacre dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Dacre moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Rodriguez walks into a jab.
Dacre fails with the takedown.
Rodriguez thinks about countering with a head kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Dacre clinches with his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dacre tries to throw a body punch but Rodriguez avoids it by throwing Dacre back against the cage.
Dacre blocks an uppercut.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Rodriguez creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.

Dacre pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Dacre moves into the clinch.
Dacre blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Dacre blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

Dacre pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
A jab lands there for Dacre.
Nice cross by Dacre.
Rodriguez keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Dacre closes the distance and pushes Rodriguez back into the cage.
Dacre lands a hook that snaps the head of Rodriguez backwards.
Dacre is trying to pull guard but Rodriguez has him pressed against the cage.
Rodriguez misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Dacre misses with a short punch on the inside.
Nice body punch from Rodriguez - that landed with a thud.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Dacre decides to pull guard.
Dacre 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.
Rodriguez has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Dacre is proving hard to escape from.
Rodriguez trying desperately to get back to his feet here but he's not having any joy at all. He's going to tire himself out if he's not careful.
Dacre is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Dacre trying to control from half guard but Rodriguez is working away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dacre is pressing down on Rodriguez's thigh, looking to free his foot. Rodriguez is holding on for now.
Rodriguez holds on for dear life, maintaining half guard for now.
Rodriguez has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Dacre not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Rodriguez gets back to full guard.
Rodriguez controlling the position.
Claude Dacre has got the better of the ground game so far.
Dacre trying to control but Rodriguez is working from the bottom.
Rodriguez wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Dacre has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Rodriguez is trying to control the position from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Dacre trying to control but Rodriguez is working from the bottom.
Rodriguez wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Rodriguez looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Rodriguez looking to control.
Rodriguez managing to control the position.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Pablo Rodriguez is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Dacre scores with a shot to the body.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Dacre throws out a powerful jab.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Claude Dacre showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Dacre rushes Rodriguez and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
A short uppercut from Rodriguez.
Dacre lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Rodriguez lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Dacre.
Dacre takes a shot to the head.
Still in the clinch, Rodriguez scores with a nice short uppercut.
Rodriguez lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Dacre.
Dacre can't break the clinch.
Rodriguez working aggressively here.
Rodriguez is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Rodriguez lands a left hand that snaps the head of Dacre backwards.
Dacre fails to pull the fight into his guard.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Dacre.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Rodriguez.
Rodriguez throws a punch but it's blocked by Dacre.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Rodriguez swings wildly with an uppercut but Dacre uses good head movement to avoid it.
Dacre tries to break the clinch but Rodriguez is controlling the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dacre scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Dacre tries to pull guard but Rodriguez forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Pablo Rodriguez has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Claude Dacre.
Rodriguez misses with a short punch on the inside.
Dacre is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Rodriguez is defending well for now.
Dacre throws a punch but it's blocked by Rodriguez.
Dacre has had enough of the clinch but Rodriguez keeps him there for the moment.
Rodriguez lands with a right to the head.
Pablo Rodriguez has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Rodriguez blocks an uppercut.
A head punch on the inside from Dacre fails to land.
Rodriguez misses with a hook from the clinch.
Dacre can't find room to land a body shot as Rodriguez controls the action.
Dacre misses with a short punch on the inside.
A left hand lands to the body for Rodriguez.
A short uppercut from Rodriguez.
Dacre lands with a light punch inside.
Rodriguez swings away with an uppercut that misses.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Dacre.
Rodriguez misses with a hook from the clinch.
Rodriguez misses with a hook from the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rodriguez lands a shoulder strike.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Rodriguez fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Rodriguez misses with some punches.

Dacre breaks from the clinch.
Dacre shoots in looking for a takedown but Rodriguez manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Dacre's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Rodriguez throws a counter high kick but Dacre was just alert enough to avoid it.
Pablo Rodriguez has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Dacre shoots for a takedown but Rodriguez saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Rodriguez is looking to counter with head kicks.
Rodriguez takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Claude Dacre seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Dacre fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.

Dacre drives through and clinches with Rodriguez against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rodriguez misses with a punch on the inside.
Claude Dacre is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Dacre tries for a takedown but Rodriguez manages to get underhooks.
A short uppercut from Rodriguez.
Dacre blocks an uppercut.
Rodriguez swings wildly with an uppercut but Dacre uses good head movement to avoid it.
Dacre blocks an uppercut.
Dacre goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Rodriguez misses with a punch on the inside.
Rodriguez lands a left hand.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Rodriguez.
Rodriguez misses with the head strike.

Dacre pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Dacre swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Dacre just manages to avoid a counter high kick fromRodriguez.
Dacre changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Rodriguez tries to avoid it but Dacre manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Rodriguez to the ground. Rodriguez escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Rodriguez looked to counter with a high kick but didn't commit.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A jab from Dacre misses.
Rodriguez thinks about countering with a head kick.
Dacre fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Rodriguez looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.

Dacre instigates a clinch.

Dacre pulls Rodriguez into guard.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Dacre is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Dacre's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Dacre wants to sweep here but Rodriguez controlling him for the moment.
Dacre is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.

And that's the end of the fight!
Pablo Rodriguez showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Dacre 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 Paul Aken scores the fight 28:29
Judge Paulsen Ambrosius scores the fight 28:29
Judge Nard Betker scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Claude Dacre!
During a confident post fight interview, Claude Dacre thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.