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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Antoine Drake (ranked 3069 p4p, 4827 weight class) and Emerson Hughes (ranked 312 p4p, 438 weight class). Both these fighters had to take extra time to make weight as they missed the initial 155lb limit. Antoine Drake came in at 157.9 and Emerson Hughes came in at 157.7 but after the extra two hours, both guys managed to get within the one pound allowance. No doubt it will have affected them physically though, so let's see if that has an impact on the fight. Antoine Drake could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Emerson Hughes's chin.
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| 173 cm
25
162
2 - 0 - 0 |
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175 cm
25
160
0 - 1 - 0 |
Good wrestling
Counter fighter
KO power |
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BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Determined |
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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 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Antoine Drake!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Emerson Hughes!
The judges for this bout are Shirou Masuda, Taro Takaoka and Hirohito Nitta.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Drake throws a nice looking combination but Hughes bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Hughes feints a counter leg kick.
Jeez, both these guys look absolutely knackered already, that's not a good sign!
Drake shoots in but no luck this time.
Drake fails with an attempt to clinch.
Drake misses the shot to the body.
Hughes throws out a counter right but Drake avoids it with no problem.
Hughes checks a low kick from Drake.
Hughes is looking for the big counter here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hughes lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Drake at a distance.
Drake is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Hughes.
Hughes scores with a one two! Drake had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Drake throws a looping overhand right but Hughes ducks down to avoid it.
Hughes's coach down at The Firm was telling us pre-fight that they have been working on Hughes's balance. Obviously they view that as a key factor in the outcome of this fight.
Drake fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Hughes manages to avoid it.
Drake throws a head kick but Hughes moves out of range.
Drake feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Drake stops Hughes from standing up.
Hughes throws his legs up looking to secure a triangle. Oh, that looks pretty tight, I gotta say! Drake escapes and throws Hughes's legs to the side, diving into side control!
Drake advances to full mount.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Drake controlling from the full mount.
Hughes is in a horrible position here. Drake smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Drake controlling the position easily from mount.
Drake has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drake has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Hughes's face.
Drake content just to control the position here.
Drake fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Drake dominating with strikes here.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hughes tries to lock up and control but Drake gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Drake takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Drake lands a couple of good shots and Hughes has given up his back, trying to escape the position!
Drake is riding his opponent, not letting Hughes buck him off.
Drake seems to have improved his submission grappling technique since last time we saw him. Let's see if he can pull off a submission.
Drake has his hand under the chin of his opponent looking for the choke. He's nearly got it! This one could be all over! But no, Hughes has freed his hand and lives to survive another… well, another couple of seconds at least!
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Drake really has the hooks in deep now - there seems like no escape for Hughes.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Antoine Drake dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!
Drake looks to throw the jab but Hughes is out of range.
Hughes throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Drake quickly followed up with a counter body kick but doesn't connect.
Drake closes the distance and pushes Hughes back into the cage.
Hughes wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Drake has him pressed against the cage.
Drake jumps guard.
Drake has a closed guard, preventing Hughes from standing up.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hughes being controlled here momentarily.
Hughes wants to get up but he can't break Drake's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Drake is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Drake in particular looking to stall.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Drake landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Drake stalling.
Drake is nestled in close to Hughes, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Drake in particular looking to stall.
Drake passes to full mount!
Drake controlling his opponent.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Drake unloading with bombs!
Drake looking to control and managing it successfully.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Drake'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.
Antoine Drake overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Hughes is working to get back to half guard.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Drake tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Hughes is looking to get to half guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Antoine Drake dominated that second round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!
Drake throws a hook but Hughes avoids it easily.
Drake throws a series of punches but Hughes moves out of range.
A nice side step and Hughes releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Drake shoots and misses
and Drake takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Hughes gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Drake to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Hughes is looking to stand up but Drake isn't so interested in that idea.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Drake's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
That's one minute gone in the round.
Drake's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Drake seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Hughes for as long as he can get away with.
Drake postures up.
Hughes might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Drake haven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
Drake slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Hughes wants to control but instead he gets his guard passed and Drake is now in half guard.
Well, if Drake is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Hughes trying to control but Drake postures up.
Drake looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Drake not doing much here.
Drake looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Hughes on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drake not doing much here.
The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
The fighters circling - Drake throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Antoine Drake seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Hughes bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Hughes appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Drake throws a leg kick
and Hughes counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Drake throws a big shot that misses.
Despite the aggression on Hughes's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Hughes steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Drake.
Hughes looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Hughes scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Emerson Hughes has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Drake rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Hughes counters with a stiff right hand.
Drake shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Hughes but Hughes pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Hughes moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Drake throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Hughes makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Antoine Drake is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Hughes moves out of range of the strikes.
Hughes is looking for the big counter here.
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 Antoine Drake.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Drake, 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 Shirou Masuda scores the fight 30:27
Judge Taro Takaoka scores the fight 30:27
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 30:27
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Antoine Drake!
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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
25% |
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