PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Rio Gracie (ranked 1749 p4p, 3887 weight class) and Mark Jackson (ranked 236 p4p, 478 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Gracie
vs
Jackson

175 cm
20
170
5 - 0 - 0

191 cm
25
182
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Basic striking
Good chin

Good wrestler
Brawler
Experienced

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Rio Gracie!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Mark Jackson!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Franklin, Tiny Johnson and Alan Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Jackson fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Gracie avoids it really well and circles away.
Jackson goes for a double leg but Gracie avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Gracie continues to drive forward.
Gracie displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Jackson throws out the jab.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Gracie.
Jackson waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Gracie.

Gracie gets the takedown into side control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
A lull in the action here.
Jackson is looking for a sweep.
A lull in the action here as Gracie stalls from top position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gracie's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie moves into full mount!
Gracie works his way to his opponent's back.
Jackson is being controlled on the ground here - he must escape this position otherwise surely the end is near.
Jackson can't escape the position.
Jackson surviving as best he can, preventing damage.
Good control from Gracie.
Gracie has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Gracie gets his hands free as Jackson looks to control.
Gracie slows the pace down here. Having a little breather whilst he's in a dominant position, looking to rest and regain some energy, ready to go for the finish.
Jackson is trying to stand back up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jackson trying to control the hands but Gracie breaks the grip.
So, who will make the next big move? In this position it could be crucial.
Jackson tries to roll but Gracie sticks to his back.
You know, I was talking to some of our celebrities at ringside tonight and they were split right down the middle on who was going to win this fight.
Gracie seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Jackson for as long as he can get away with.
Further stalling from Gracie.
Jackson is trying to stand back up.
Jackson looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
I really don't envy Jackson right now.
Jackson wants to control his opponent's hands but Gracie gets his hands free.
Gracie just keeping the dominant position. He can't wait too long though, otherwise the referee will stand them back up.
This is a sustained period of stalling by Gracie.
Gracie not allowing Jackson to control his hands.
Jackson can't escape the position.
Gracie controls the action.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jackson trying to control the hands but Gracie won't let him.
Gracie has good solid back control here.
Gracie continues to hold on tight.
You can see the frustration on Jackson's face… He knows he is in trouble unless he improves his position sooner rather than later.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Gracie has good solid back control here.
Jackson is trying to break free.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Rio Gracie dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Jackson slaps away a takedown attempt from Gracie, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Jackson is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Gracie is defended easily by Jackson.
Jackson stuffs the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rio Gracie. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Jackson shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Gracie as he jumps to the side.
Gracie looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Gracie goes for a double leg but Jackson avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Jackson continues to drive forward.
Jackson wants a takedown.
Jackson tries a body shot but Gracie blocks it.

Gracie pulls guard successfully.
Jackson is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gracie pulls Jackson in close to prevent any damage.
Jackson must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Jackson with a flurry of punches that miss.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Jackson trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Gracie trying to control the position.
Jackson throwing strikes but missing.
Jackson lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Gracie is on top in guard.

Gracie advances position into side control!
Gracie wants to lay and pray for a moment but Jackson keeps working.
Gracie works to advance to full mount. Jackson defends for a few seconds but eventually he succumbs.
Jackson tries to hold on but Gracie pushes him away.
Gracie moves to back control.
Gracie controlling the position well here. Jackson rolled but Gracie kept the hooks locked in and stayed in the dominant position.
Gracie struggling to keep hold of the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie just keeping the dominant position. He can't wait too long though, otherwise the referee will stand them back up.
Gracie is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Jackson can do to turn this around?
If it seems like I'm not saying a lot, it's just because Gracie is stinking the place up with his stalling.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gracie continues to stall.
Gracie tries to keep control of the position but Jackson is staying busy.
Jackson is trying to get back to his feet but Gracie has full control of the position and if anything, Jackson has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Gracie has good solid back control here.
Gracie avoiding Jackson 's attempts to control his hands.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jackson is trying to get back to his feet but Gracie has full control of the position and if anything, Jackson has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Gracie just keeping the dominant position. He can't wait too long though, otherwise the referee will stand them back up.
Jackson trying to control the hands but Gracie won't let him.
I would not like to be Jackson right now.
Gracie wants to control but Jackson is keeping busy.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Gracie trying to secure his dominant position for a moment - making sure Jackson doesn't escape.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Rio Gracie dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Jackson shoots in looking for a takedown. Gracie tries to sprawl out of it but Jackson keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Gracie manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Jackson.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Jackson enables Gracie to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Jackson manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Gracie not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gracie slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Gracie moving around in side mount but really he's just happy to control for now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rio Gracie overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
More hug and hope from Gracie.
Gracie passes to full mount! That's big trouble for Jackson!
Jackson is squirming around, avoiding Gracie's attempts to control the action.
Jackson wants to hold on but Gracie pushes him away.
Jackson has given up his back here. Will Gracie look for the submission or keep pounding away?
Gracie really has the hooks in deep now - there seems like no escape for Jackson.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jackson is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.
Jackson is very frustrated here, being controlled quite effectively by Gracie.
Jackson prevents Gracie from getting a body triangle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jackson is very frustrated here, being controlled quite effectively by Gracie.
Jackson trying to control the action but Gracie just sinks the hooks in.
Gracie tries to keep control of the position but Jackson is staying busy.
Gracie controls the position.
Jackson is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.
Gracie controls the position.
Jackson looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.
Jackson is trying to avoid being dragged into an even worse position than he's already in but Gracie is staying active.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Gracie is looking cool and calm here, just waiting for a good opportunity to attack and finish the fight from this dominant position.
Jackson is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.
So, who will make the next big move? In this position it could be crucial.
Mark Jackson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

And that's the end of the fight!
Rio Gracie showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Gracie, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Daniel Franklin scores the fight 30:26
Judge Tiny Johnson scores the fight 30:26
Judge Alan Glass scores the fight 30:26

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