PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Santa Cruz (ranked 669 p4p, 1801 weight class) and Big Red Machine (ranked 85 p4p, 224 weight class). Big Red Machine is staring across the cage at his opponent, tweaking his nipples.

Cruz
vs
Machine

188 cm
27
210
7 - 4 - 0

195 cm
26
215
8 - 4 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Very quick

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Powerful

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 7 - 4 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Santa Cruz!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 4 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Big Red Machine!
The judges for this bout are Santiago Holmes, Daniel Franklin and Peter Branson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cruz rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Machine moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Machine tries to clinch up.
Cruz seems to be moving with more speed, compared to his last bout. He must have been working on that in the gym.
Cruz keeps the fight on the outside.
Machine misses the jab.
Machine fails with an attempt to clinch.

Machine drives through and clinches with Cruz against the cage.
Cruz wants to stall.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Cruz.

Cruz breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Cruz misses with a body shot.
Machine scores with a shot to the body.
Machine looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Machine keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Machine rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Cruz moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Cruz takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Machine ducks under a wild hook from Cruz.
Machine changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Some wild striking there from Cruz.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Machine tries to close the distance and clinch up but Cruz swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Machine shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Machine misses with a body shot.
A quick step to the side and Cruz tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.
Machine getting the better of the striking in that exchange.

Machine gets a clinch.
Cruz is looking to control Machine's arms but Machine gets an underhook and turns him. Now Cruz has his back to the cage.
Machine tries to work over Cruz's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Machine misses with a body punch.
Machine tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Machine fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

Cruz pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Big Red Machine seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A swing and a miss from Machine.
Cruz throws a body punch but Machine moves out of range.
Cruz slips under a jab.
Cruz just misses with a punch to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Machine fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Cruz on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Machine tries to close the distance and clinch up but Cruz swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Machine connects with a jab.
Cruz swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Machine is looking to clinch.

Machine closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Cruz working aggressively here.

Machine pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Machine closes the distance and pushes Cruz back into the cage.
Cruz stalling against the cage.
Machine tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Cruz's elbow.
A short right from Cruz on the inside.
Cruz stalls.
Machine swings wildly with an uppercut but Cruz uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Machine fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Cruz manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.

Cruz manages to break the clinch.
Machine keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Machine misses with a hook
and Cruz counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Machine tries to clinch there but Cruz circles away.
Machine tries to bum rush Cruz with a series of wild strikes but Cruz uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Machine tries to clinch but Cruz moves away
and Cruz counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Machine has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
A looping hook to the body misses from Cruz. Machine does a little dance to reset his feet.
Machine steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Cruz.
A jab lands there for Cruz.
Machine tries to clinch there but Cruz circles away.

Machine clinches up with Cruz and pushes him back against the cage.
Cruz throws a punch but it's blocked by Machine.
Machine working aggressively here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Cruz breaks from the clinch.

Cruz gets tackled into the cage by Machine. Machine maintains the clinch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Cruz prevents a body shot from Machine.
Machine goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Cruz stalling.
Cruz stalling the fight.
Cruz lands a left hand.
Cruz has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Machine swings wildly with an uppercut but Cruz uses good head movement to avoid it.
Machine throws a head punch that misses.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Machine.

Cruz breaks the clinch.
Machine moves in looking to clinch but Cruz pushes him off.
Machine fails in his attempt to clinch.
Cruz was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Cruz keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Machine wants to clinch.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Big Red Machine will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Machine closes the distance and clinches up with Cruz, looking for a takedown. Machine pushes Cruz against the cage but Cruz circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.

Machine has managed to clinch.
Machine throws a head punch that misses.
Machine misses with some punches.
Machine misses with a punch to the body.
Cruz stalling in the clinch but Machine improves position.
Machine misses with a hook from the clinch.

Cruz escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Machine tries to clinch but Cruz is having none of it.
Cruz has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Machine works the jab nicely.
Santa Cruz is winning the standup battle so far.
Machine takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Cruz lands with a straight right. Machine didn't see that one coming.

It looks like Big Red Machine has been cut.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Machine tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Cruz manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Machine lands a body shot.
Cruz comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Cruz is looking to wear down Machine with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Cruz throws a body punch but Machine moves out of range.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Cruz cracks Machine with a big right hand that sends him to the floor! Machine looks wobbly but he's sprung back up to his feet straight away… can Cruz finish him?

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cruz tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Machine was well out of range. Poor timing from Cruz.
Machine wants to counter with a clinch but Cruz pushes him away.

Machine pushes Cruz up against the cage in a clinch.
A short right from Cruz.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Cruz.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Cruz.

Machine is rocked!
Cruz lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Machine backwards.
Machine is still on wobbly legs! Can Cruz finish him?

Cruz breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Cruz jabs Machine to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Machine is breathing heavily.
Cruz lands with a good body shot.
Cruz lands a jab and follows it up with a massive straight that knocks Machine out cold! Machine is crumpled in the corner, his head only propped up by the cage! That's one for the organiziational promos right there! Wow, what a finish!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:30 of round 2, we have a winner by way of KO (Punches). Santa Cruz!
Santa Cruz decided to go for the less than humble approach in his post fight interview, telling everyone how he is going to conquer the world. The crowd seemed to like it when really that sort of approach could have gone either way.