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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Rick Cruze (ranked 4459 p4p, 24489 weight class) and Milivoj Ljubicic (ranked 512 p4p, 626 weight class). Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!
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| 190 cm
18
215
0 - 0 - 0 |
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180 cm
18
220
0 - 2 - 0 |
BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin |
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BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Solid chin |
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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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Rick Cruze!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Milivoj Ljubicic!
The judges for this bout are Stewart Dunkirk, Chris Downing and George Francis.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cruze fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Ljubicic missing with a left hand there. Cruze was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Ljubicic throws a body punch but Cruze moves out of range.
Cruze displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Ljubicic throws out the jab.
Ljubicic is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Cruze.
Ljubicic takes a swing at Cruze's ribcage but misses.
Cruze fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Ljubicic, pushing him back against the cage.
Cruze breaks from the clinch.
A slow jab from Ljubicic misses its intended target.
Cruze is looking to counter the offense by Ljubicic and move into the clinch.
Ljubicic looks to land a right hand but Cruze moved out of range.
As Ljubicic looks to move away, Cruze throws a big counter combo but Ljubicic just gets out of the way.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cruze closes the distance and clinches.
Cruze missing with knees to the body.
Cruze throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Ljubicic gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Cruze.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Ljubicic taking a breather.
Cruze is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Ljubicic pulls him back up using the underhooks.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rick Cruze. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Cruze breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Ljubicic ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Cruze gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Cruze manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Ljubicic slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Cruze is trying to keep Ljubicic in close.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ljubicic controls from within his opponent's guard.
Cruze wants to hit a sweep here but Ljubicic passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Cruze there!
Cruze tries to hold on but Ljubicic postures up.
Ljubicic takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cruze is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Cruze keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Ljubicic controlling the position easily from mount.
Cruze throwing hammer fists to the chest of Ljubicic. What's that going to do exactly?
Ljubicic takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Ljubicic looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Cruze wants to control but Ljubicic is having none of it.
Cruze regains half guard.
Cruze trying to control from the bottom.
Cruze wants to get back to his feet.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Cruze works his way to full guard. Good work.
Cruze can't keep his opponent in guard - Ljubicic advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Milivoj Ljubicic dominated that round.
That's time! Cruze's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.
Cruze slips under a jab.
Cruze shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Ljubicic as he jumps to the side.
Cruze throws a right and a left that Ljubicic avoids nicely.
Ljubicic connects with a good right hand that stumbles Cruze. Cruze circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Cruze uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ljubicic.
Ljubicic misses the jab.
Ljubicic is really struggling to land any decent head shots against his taller opponent.
Cruze misses with a few strikes there.
Cruze keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Ljubicic.
Ljubicic ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Cruze moves away.
It looked like Cruze was looking amped, ready to throw a big counter but didn't commit.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cruze throws the kick towards the body but Ljubicic avoids it.
Cruze misses with an uppercut.
Cruze rushes Ljubicic and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Cruze manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Cruze is trying to keep Ljubicic in close.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Ljubicic is stalling in the full guard.
Ljubicic postures up.
Cruze looking for submissions from the bottom but instead Ljubicic passes into side control.
Ljubicic working away.
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.
Ljubicic takes a little break here. Cruze wants to take advantage but he is being controlled well.
Cruze is looking for a sweep.
Cruze wants to control but Ljubicic postures up.
Cruze is in a bad position, trying to hold on for dear life but he is really struggling to maintain any sort of control.
Cruze is looking for a sweep.
Cruze trying to remain calm as Ljubicic controls from the top position.
The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ljubicic misses with a looping right.
Cruze displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Ljubicic throws out the jab.
Ljubicic misses with a hook
and Cruze counters with a two punch combo.
Cruze shoots in for a takedown but Ljubicic shows good takedown defense.
Ljubicic swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Cruze keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Cruze misses with a few strikes there.
Milivoj Ljubicic is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Ljubicic throws a shot from downtown. Cruze moves away and avoids it.
Ljubicic swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Cruze misses with a two punch combination.
Cruze shoots in for a takedown but Ljubicic shows good takedown defense.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rick Cruze. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ljubicic throws a lazy right hand but Cruze sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
It looked like Cruze was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Ljubicic.
Cruze fails with the takedown.
Ljubicic fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Cruze manages to avoid it.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cruze fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Ljubicic lands a nice shot to the body.
Cruze fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Ljubicic looks like he wants to counter punch here.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Ljubicic works the jab nicely.
Cruze pushes Ljubicic up against the cage in a clinch.
Cruze lands a left hand.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Cruze tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
A close second round but Milivoj Ljubicic will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!
Ljubicic looks to land a left hand but Cruze moved out of range nicely.
The fighters circling - Ljubicic throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Cruze uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Ljubicic.
Cruze shoots in but no luck this time.
Cruze ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Milivoj Ljubicic seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Cruze clinches up with Ljubicic and pushes him back against the cage.
Cruze will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Ljubicic up against the cage.
Ljubicic is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Cruze is keeping busy.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ljubicic avoiding damage as Cruze throws knees to the body.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Cruze has Ljubicic pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Ljubicic manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Ljubicic stalling.
Ljubicic wants to stall.
Cruze jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Ljubicic walks away with a smile on his face. Cruze gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rick Cruze. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ljubicic misses with a hook.
Rick Cruze is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Ljubicic misses with an uppercut. Cruze saw that one coming.
Ljubicic misses with a hook.
Ljubicic misses with an uppercut. Cruze saw that one coming.
Cruze shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Ljubicic is trying to defend but Cruze finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Ljubicic controlling the position for now.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cruze wants to take a breather but Ljubicic is having none of it.
Cruze stands up from half guard... He's had enough of that ground malarky for the time being.
Cruze closes the distance and clinches.
Ljubicic trying to control the position but instead, Cruze has worked for underhooks and has pushed Ljubicic into the cage.
Ljubicic gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Cruze.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cruze lands an elbow just above Ljubicic 's eye.
It looks like Milivoj Ljubicic has been cut.
Cruze fails to pull guard.
Cruze fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Cruze's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Cruze uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ljubicic.
A looping hook to the body misses from Ljubicic. Cruze does a little dance to reset his feet.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ljubicic missing with a left hand there. Cruze was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Ljubicic swings for the body but Cruze moves out of range.
Cruze rushes Ljubicic and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Cruze misses with a punch to the body.
Cruze misses with a body punch.
Cruze tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Ljubicic just stands there and leans against the cage.
Cruze missing with knees to the body.
Cruze tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Cruze jumps guard but Ljubicic stands there with Cruze around his waist. Cruze gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Rick Cruze has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Milivoj Ljubicic is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Ljubicic avoids the elbow strike from Cruze, against the cage.
And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Rick Cruze.
I think Ljubicic 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 Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 27:30
Judge Chris Downing scores the fight 28:29
Judge George Francis scores the fight 28:29
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Milivoj Ljubicic!
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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
29% |
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