PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Dezmond Drake (ranked 2517 p4p, 3420 weight class) and Bruce Leroy (ranked 311 p4p, 404 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Drake
vs
Leroy

176 cm
23
160
4 - 2 - 0

173 cm
22
155
5 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Cardio machine

BJJ Purple Belt
World class MT
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Dezmond Drake!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 5 - 0, fighting out of New York, Bruce Leroy !
The judges for this bout are Sam Margolis, James Ackerman and Daniel Bishop.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Drake misses the jab.
Leroy 's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Leroy duly obliges.
Drake lands a really nice looking cross but Leroy seems unphased.
Leroy throws a right and a left that Drake avoids nicely.
Drake showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Leroy .
Leroy throws a big shot that misses.
Leroy misses with a head kick.
Leroy darts in trying to clinch
and Drake counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Drake walks into a jab.
Drake dodges the punch combination from Leroy .
Drake sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nice uppercut lands for Drake. That snapped Leroy 's head back.
Bruce Leroy seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Drake on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Drake moves away from the strike by Leroy .
Leroy throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Drake.
Leroy avoids the body shot from Drake.
Leroy feints a counter leg kick.
Leroy fails in his attempt to clinch.
Drake displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Leroy throws out the jab.
Leroy fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Leroy doesn't manage to clinch there - Drake circles away.
Leroy fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Drake misses with a few strikes there.
Drake lands with a straight right. Leroy didn't see that one coming.
Drake misses with a straight right.
Leroy looks to land a right hand but Drake moved out of range.
A jab lands there for Leroy .
Left hook, right uppercut from Leroy .
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Drake throws a body punch but Leroy moves out of range.
Drake uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Leroy .

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Some wild striking there from Leroy .
Drake misses with a body shot.
Leroy throws a low kick but Drake moves out of range easily.
Leroy tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Drake paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Leroy pivots, looking for a leg kick but Drake is out of range and Leroy settles back down.
Drake throws out a loose jab but Leroy uses good head movement to avoid it.
Leroy throws a sloppy head kick and Drake moves out of range easily.
Nice uppercut lands for Drake. That snapped Leroy 's head back.
Leroy explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Leroy shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Drake throws a hook but Leroy avoids it easily.
Leroy takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Drake fails to land with a series of punches.
Leroy throws the left hand but Drake avoids the punch easily.
Drake looks to land a left hand but Leroy moved out of range nicely.
Drake cracks Leroy with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drake connects with a jab.
Leroy tries to clinch there but Drake circles away.
Drake throws a hook but Leroy blocks it.
Leroy tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Drake manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Sloppy strikes from Leroy . Those never looked like landing.
Leroy bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
A head kick by Leroy misses
and Drake counters with a right hand to the body.
Drake scores with a nice head shot.
Leroy defending well as Drake loads up on a big left hand.
Drake swats away the attempt to clinch by Leroy .
Danga de danga de dang - Leroy scores with a four punch combination!
Leroy throws a wild body kick that Drake sees coming a mile off.
Drake throws a one two combo.
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!
Drake swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Leroy lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Drake throws a lazy uppercut
and Leroy counters with a straight right hand.
Leroy ducks under a wild hook from Drake.
Drake fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Leroy on the side of the head.
Drake looks to score with a jab to the body but Leroy is just out of range.
Leroy unleashes a big counter combination but Drake bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Drake is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.
Leroy takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Leroy misses with a body punch
and Drake makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Leroy walks into a left hand.
Leroy fails with an attempt to clinch.
Leroy slips under a jab from Drake.
Drake throws a jab but it's blocked by Leroy .
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Leroy ! But no joy.
Leroy misses with a kick to the body.
Drake thows a left - swing and a miss!
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Drake throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Leroy slips under a jab from Drake.
Leroy looks to land a body kick but Drake moved away.
Drake scores with a jab to the body.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Dezmond Drake will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Drake misses with a jab, cross combination.
Leroy throws a head kick that misses.
Leroy misses with a hook. Drake ducked under it nicely.
Leroy takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Drake throws a jab when Leroy was well out of range.
Drake lands with a hook. Leroy tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Leroy slips a straight right by Drake.
Leroy throws a nice looking combination but Drake bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Drake jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Leroy takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Leroy misses with a straight left.
Drake is looking to counter punch.
Bruce Leroy is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Drake digs a good hook to Leroy 's body.
Leroy steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Drake.
Drake misses the shot to the body.
Leroy tries to bum rush Drake with a series of wild strikes but Drake uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Leroy misses with the combination.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Leroy tries to bum rush Drake with a series of wild strikes but Drake uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Drake moves away from the strike by Leroy .
Drake connects with a nice looking jab.
Drake looks to score with a jab to the body but Leroy is just out of range.
Leroy misses with a head kick.
Leroy does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Nice defenses there by Leroy .
Leroy thuds a left hand into Drake's body.
Drake uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Drake throws a series of punches but Leroy avoids them all with ease.
Leroy fakes the leg kick and cracks Drake in the body.
Leroy tries to clinch up.
A little feinted left hand from Drake on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Drake fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Leroy on the side of the head.
Leroy falls off balance throwing a combination
and Drake cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Drake lands a jab.
Drake getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Drake moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Leroy lands a head kick. Drake smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
No joy there for Leroy , who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Leroy throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Drake.
Drake checks the leg kick nicely there.
Leroy throws a right and a left that both miss.
Leroy blocks a jab.
A good leg kick by Leroy .
Drake sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Leroy looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Drake misses the shot to the body.
Leroy walks into a left hand.
Leroy uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Drake.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drake punishes Leroy 's body with a nice straight punch.
Leroy uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Drake.
Drake avoids a punch combination nicely.
Leroy throws a nice looking combination but Drake bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Leroy moves in looking to clinch but Drake pushes him off.
Drake swings away with a body shot that misses
and Leroy counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
A looping hook to the body misses from Drake. Leroy does a little dance to reset his feet.
Leroy is looking to clinch but Drake is avoiding it.

Leroy darts in and clinches Drake up against the cage.
Drake can't find room to land a body shot as Leroy controls the action.
Drake blocking some punches.
Leroy misses with a punch to the body.
Leroy misses with an elbow over the top.
Drake working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Drake lands a shoulder strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A right hook to the body lands for Drake.
Drake throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Leroy s head.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Drake breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Drake lands a nice looking body shot.
Leroy misses with a head kick.
Drake takes a swing at Leroy 's ribcage but misses.
Leroy tries a low kick but Drake avoids it.
Drake just misses with a punch to the body.
Leroy thinks about the counter body kick.
Dezmond Drake is winning the standup battle so far.
Leroy swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Leroy throws a head kick but Drake moves out of range.
Leroy throws a one two combo.
Drake looks to land a left hand but Leroy moved out of range nicely.
Leroy misses the body punch
and Drake counters with a straight right hand.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Leroy lands a nice leg kick that just misses Drake's sensitive parts.
Leroy misses with an uppercut.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Dezmond Drake will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

A looping hook to the body misses from Drake. Leroy does a little dance to reset his feet.
Leroy throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Drake.
Leroy swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Leroy walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Drake lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Leroy misses with a jab, cross combination.
Drake loads up on a big right hand but Leroy slips the punch.
Leroy tries to close the distance and clinch but Drake swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Nice uppercut lands for Leroy . That snapped Drake's head back.
Drake misses the shot to the body.
Drake just misses with a punch to the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Leroy keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Drake fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Leroy manages to avoid it.
Leroy avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Leroy looks to land a left hand but Drake moved out of range nicely.
Drake lands a jab to the nose.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Leroy swinging wildly here.
Drake displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Leroy throws out the jab.
Leroy has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Leroy tries to clinch up but Drake circles away and keeps his distance.
Leroy falls off balance throwing a combination
and Drake counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Leroy scores with a jab to the body.
Leroy swings widly with a right hand
enabling Drake to counter with a crisp jab.
Leroy looks to score with a jab to the body but Drake is just out of range.
Drake swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Drake misses with a jab, cross combination.
Leroy tries a head kick but it misses.
Leroy misses with the body kick
and Drake counters with a series of strikes. Leroy will be more careful next time no doubt.
Drake moves out of range of the body kick.
Leroy tries to close the distance and clinch but Drake swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Drake avoids the body shot from Leroy .
Leroy swings widly with a right hand
and Drake counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Leroy thinking.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Leroy swinging wildly here.
Drake lands a jab to the nose.
Leroy jabs at Drake's body.
Leroy swings widly with a right hand
enabling Drake to counter with a crisp jab.
Leroy walks into a stiff left hand from Drake.
Drake misses with a series of wild punches.
Drake looks to throw the jab but Leroy is out of range.
Leroy connects with a solid leg kick.
Drake uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Leroy .
Drake looks to score with a jab to the body but Leroy is just out of range.
Leroy throws out a counter right but Drake avoids it with no problem.
A nice combination there by Leroy .

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drake swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Leroy looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Dezmond Drake is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Leroy misses with a hook. Drake ducked under it nicely.
Drake looks to throw the jab but Leroy is out of range.
Drake thuds a left hand into Leroy 's body.
Leroy will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
It looked like Drake was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Leroy .
Leroy throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Drake lands a really nice looking cross but Leroy seems unphased.
Drake looks to land a right hand but Leroy moved out of range.
Leroy takes one on the button.
Drake scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Leroy misses with a series of wild punches.
It looked like Drake was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Leroy .
Drake is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Leroy .

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Drake misses with a wild body shot.
Drake moves out of range of the body kick.
Leroy swings widly with a right hand
and Drake counters with a three punch combo that has Leroy backing up. Leroy nods at Drake to acknowledge the strikes.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Drake takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Drake throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Drake swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Leroy misses with a wild combination.
Bruce Leroy has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
A jab from Drake misses.
Drake throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Drake misses the shot to the body.
Leroy fails to land with a series of punches.
Drake lunges at Leroy with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Leroy 's hand.
Drake connects with the punch.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dezmond Drake showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Drake 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 Sam Margolis scores the fight 30:27
Judge James Ackerman scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Dezmond Drake!
Our winner, Dezmond Drake, made sure he spent some time buttering up the crowd during his post fight interview, which will no doubt bring him a few more fans.