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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Juanito Escobar (ranked 1585 p4p, 3424 weight class) and Craig Watkins (ranked 245 p4p, 498 weight class). There are an array of beautiful celebrities at ringside tonight! I wonder if any of them paid for their tickets.
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| 190 cm
22
185
4 - 1 - 0 |
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185 cm
22
185
2 - 2 - 0 |
Good wrestling
Lethal high kicks
Insanely flexible |
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Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Good gas tank |
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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 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Juanito Escobar!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Craig Watkins!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Jack Bonds and Percy O'Donnell.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Watkins doesn't manage to clinch there - Escobar circles away.
Escobar throws a jab when Watkins was well out of range.
It seemed like Watkins was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
The fighters circling - Escobar throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Escobar circles away from the clinch attempt.
Watkins tries to clinch but Escobar moves out of range.
Escobar looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Escobar connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Escobar throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Escobar uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Watkins.
Juanito Escobar seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Escobar tries to keep at a distance but Watkins has taken the fight into the clinch.
Watkins scores with a shoulder strike.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Watkins working aggressively here.
Escobar manages to break the clinch.
Watkins looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Escobar throws out a leg kick but Watkins moves out of range and Escobar only half commits.
Watkins looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Good exchange - Escobar coming out on top.
Escobar looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Watkins darts in trying to clinch
and Escobar connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Escobar keeps the fight on the outside.
It looked like Escobar wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Escobar shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Watkins manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Watkins wants to stand up but Escobar is controlling him.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Watkins can do anything to dispel that myth.
Watkins can't keep his opponent in guard - Escobar advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Escobar wants to pass the guard but Watkins is defending well.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Escobar in particular looking to stall.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Escobar prevents Watkins from standing back up.
Escobar is controlling the pace.
The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
Escobar throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Watkins tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Escobar paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Escobar throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Watkins on the side of the head.
Watkins tries to clinch up.
Watkins takes one on the button.
Escobar is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Watkins.
Watkins unleashes a big counter combination but Escobar bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Watkins tries to clinch up but Escobar circles away and keeps his distance.
Watkins fails with an attempt to clinch.
Watkins checks the leg kick.
Escobar looks for a takedown but Watkins sprawls well.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Escobar throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Escobar waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Watkins.
Watkins slaps away a takedown attempt from Escobar, before circling back to the center of the mat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Juanito Escobar. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Watkins moves into the clinch.
Escobar throws a punch but it's blocked by Watkins.
Watkins misses with a punch on the inside.
Escobar digs a right hand underneath Watkins's ribcage. Watkins let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Watkins throws a head punch that misses.
Escobar misses with the head strike.
Watkins pushes Escobar back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Watkins doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Watkins pushes Escobar back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Watkins misses with a punch to the body.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Escobar creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Escobar works for the underhooks and manages to get a trip takedown into guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Watkins pushes Escobar off and scrambles back to his feet.
Nice cross by Watkins.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Escobar fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Watkins avoids it really well and circles away.
Watkins wants to clinch.
Watkins moves out of range as Escobar strikes.
Escobar misses with a hook. Watkins ducked under it nicely.
Watkins misses with a kick to the body.
Watkins tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Escobar misses with an uppercut.
Escobar misses with a hook.
Escobar chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Watkins lands with an uppercut that bounces Escobar off the cage and back into range.
Watkins moves into the clinch successfully.
Watkins working aggressively here.
Watkins tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Escobar working aggressively here.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Juanito Escobar dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!
Watkins avoids the body shot from Escobar.
Escobar takes a swing at Watkins's ribcage but misses.
Escobar throws a right hand that Watkins ducks under and follows up with a left that Watkins also avoids with ease.
Escobar scores with a crisp jab that stopped Watkins in his tracks.
Watkins tries to clinch but Escobar moves out of range.
Escobar missing with a left hand there. Watkins was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Watkins blocks a jab.
Watkins checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Escobar blocks a head kick by Watkins.
Watkins fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Escobar, pushing him back against the cage.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Watkins.
Watkins doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A shot in the inside from Escobar.
Watkins doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Escobar doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A head punch on the inside from Watkins fails to land.
Watkins lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Watkins scores with a nice hook to the head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Escobar throws a head punch that misses.
Watkins blocks an uppercut.
Watkins misses with some punches.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Watkins misses with a short punch on the inside.
Escobar misses with the head strike.
Watkins tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Escobar's elbow.
Watkins blocking some punches.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Escobar creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Escobar breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Watkins clinches with his opponent.
Escobar escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Escobar fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Watkins avoids it really well and circles away.
Watkins tries to close the distance and clinch but Escobar swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Watkins gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Watkins misses with a short punch on the inside.
Watkins working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Escobar changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Watkins fights it off and pushes away nicely.
An inside leg kick from Escobar misses.
Watkins moves in looking to clinch but Escobar pushes him off.
Escobar dives in and grabs Watkins's left leg, looking for a takedown. Watkins pushes down on Escobar's head and hops out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Juanito Escobar. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Watkins checks a leg kick nicely.
Watkins tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Escobar manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Watkins doesn't manage to clinch there - Escobar circles away.
Escobar keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Watkins instigates a clinch.
Craig Watkins seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Escobar tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Watkins lands a right hand.
Escobar blocks a body shot from Watkins.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Escobar.
Watkins can't find room to land a body shot as Escobar controls the action.
Watkins lands a nice shot to the body.
Escobar lands a body punch.
Escobar misses with some punches.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Watkins creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Escobar misses with a hook to the ribs.
Watkins throws a punch but it's blocked by Escobar.
Watkins tries a body shot but Escobar blocks it.
Watkins can't find room to land a body shot as Escobar controls the action.
Escobar pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Escobar throws a hook to the side of Watkins's head but Watkins sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
The fighters circle momentarily. Escobar darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Watkins closes the distance and clinches.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Watkins blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Escobar throws a punch but it's blocked by Watkins.
Watkins pushes Escobar back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Escobar tries for a takedown but Watkins manages to get underhooks.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Watkins lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Watkins tries to throw a body punch but Escobar avoids it by throwing Watkins back against the cage.
Watkins swings wildly with an uppercut but Escobar uses good head movement to avoid it.
Escobar scores with a shot to the side of Watkins's head.
Escobar has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Watkins after a bit of a struggle.
Escobar goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Escobar misses with the head strike.
Watkins tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Escobar's elbow.
Escobar misses with a hook to the ribs.
Watkins lands a nice uppercut.
Escobar blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Watkins.
Watkins lands a nice shot to the body.
Watkins lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Escobar backwards.
Watkins blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Watkins goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Watkins gets through Escobar's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
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!
A head punch blocked on the inside by Watkins.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Watkins.
Escobar misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Watkins doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Escobar tries to work over Watkins's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Escobar lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Watkins tries to work over Escobar's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
A right hand to the body from Escobar.
Watkins digs a right hand into Escobar's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Escobar's gas tank.
Watkins stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Watkins misses with a hook to the ribs.
Watkins lands a body shot in the clinch.
Watkins is working Escobar over against the cage.
Watkins lands a left hand that snaps the head of Escobar backwards.
Watkins misses with a hook to the ribs.
Watkins lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Watkins tries a body shot but Escobar blocks it.
Watkins working some nice short punches in the clinch.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Watkins pushes Escobar back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Watkins tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Escobar's elbow.
Watkins lands with a right to the head.
Watkins makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Craig Watkins showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.
Watkins jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Escobar waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Watkins.
Escobar just misses with a punch to the body.
Watkins feints a counter leg kick.
Watkins gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Escobar manages to break the clinch.
Watkins wants to clinch up but Escobar keeps it at a distance.
Watkins is looking to clinch but Escobar is avoiding it.
Watkins fails with an attempt to clinch.
Escobar misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Watkins.
Watkins wants to clinch up but Escobar keeps it at a distance.
Watkins tries to clinch but Escobar moves out of range.
Escobar misses the jab.
Escobar avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Watkins instigates a clinch.
Escobar misses with the head strike.
A shot in the inside from Watkins.
Escobar's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Escobar tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Watkins's elbow.
Watkins goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Watkins lands with a light punch inside.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Watkins is pressed up against the cage. Escobar has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Watkins down to the mat. Watkins avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Watkins moves into the clinch successfully.
A shot in the inside from Watkins.
Watkins throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Escobars head.
Escobar can't break the clinch.
Escobar tries a body shot but Watkins blocks it.
Escobar swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Watkins lands an uppercut.
Escobar tries to score a body lock takedown but Watkins shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Escobar lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Escobar misses with some punches.
Watkins lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Escobar backwards.
Watkins lands a shoulder strike.
A short body shot lands from Watkins as the two fighters clinch.
Watkins lands with a short punch from the clinch.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Escobar blocks a body shot from Watkins.
Watkins working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Escobar lands a takedown into guard.
Watkins pushes Escobar off and gets back to his feet.
Watkins moves into the clinch.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Watkins lands a left hand that snaps the head of Escobar backwards.
Watkins lands a shoulder strike.
Escobar is rocked!
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Watkins creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Oh Escobar is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Watkins lands a nice uppercut.
A short uppercut from Watkins.
Watkins tries a body shot but Escobar blocks it.
Escobar is trying to break the clinch but Watkins is controlling him.
Still in the clinch, Watkins scores with a nice short uppercut.
Watkins dips a shoulder and cracks Escobar with a mighty uppercut! Escobar falls back against the cage and Watkins unloads with a barrage of strikes! Escobar is completely out with his eyes open, only supported by the cage! Save him ref! Eventually the ref decides to do his job and jumps in - Watkins screams abuse at the incompetent official before going over to celebrate with his corner. Brutal stuff!
Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:41 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Craig Watkins!
During a confident post fight interview, Craig Watkins thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.
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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
84% |
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