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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Lorenz Blackwater (ranked 973 p4p, 883 weight class) and Isoa Tawake (ranked 132 p4p, 116 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Blackwater might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to A$AP Rocky - Everyday. 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.
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| 185 cm
28
202
20 - 11 - 0 |
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193 cm
26
185
12 - 7 - 0 |
Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine |
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Good wrestler
Great elbows
Powerful |
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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 20 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Lorenz Blackwater!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Isoa Tawake!
The judges for this bout are Elvis Blanc, Trevor Gratis and Yves DeLean.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tawake fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Blackwater manages to avoid it.
Tawake lands a jab.
Blackwater misses with a kick to the body.
Tawake tries to clinch up.
Some bone on bone action there as Blackwater checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Tawake's corner calls for a 1-2. Tawake obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Tawake looks to land a left hand but Blackwater moved out of range nicely.
Tawake's jab looks to have found its range, popping Blackwater under the eye.
Blackwater is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Tawake.
Blackwater looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Blackwater circles away from the clinch attempt.
A combination from Tawake does no damage.
Blackwater throwing a counter right hand but Tawake manages to avoid it.
Blackwater misses with a wild body shot.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Tawake.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A looping hook to the body misses from Tawake. Blackwater does a little dance to reset his feet.
Blackwater tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Tawake defends well and Blackwater ends up having to push Tawake into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Tawake is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Blackwater is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Tawake is defending well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lorenz Blackwater. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nice elbow from Tawake.
Blackwater blocks an uppercut.
Tawake lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Blackwater jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Tawake walks away with a smile on his face. Blackwater gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Good standup being displayed there by Tawake as he connects with a hook.
Blackwater swats away the attempt to clinch by Tawake.
A jab from Tawake does it's job there.
Tawake misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Tawake connects with a jab.
Tawake cracks Blackwater with a right hand to the side of the head.
Blackwater misses with a looping right.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tawake misses with a hook. Blackwater ducked under it nicely.
Tawake throws a right and a left that both miss.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tawake tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Blackwater paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Blackwater takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Tawake keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Tawake lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Isoa Tawake is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
A nice combination there by Blackwater.
Blackwater shoots in but Tawake avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Tawake connects with an inside leg kick.
Tawake tries to close the distance and clinch up but Blackwater swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Isoa Tawake seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Tawake lands with an overhand left.
Blackwater takes one on the button.
Tawake scores with a head kick. Blackwater tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Nice sprawl there from Tawake as Blackwater shoots in.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Blackwater looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Tawake throws a combination. Blackwater tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Tawake has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Blackwater throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Tawake fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Blackwater on the side of the head.
A slapping leg kick lands for Tawake.
Blackwater pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
A punch combination from Tawake misses.
Blackwater fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Blackwater fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Tawake moves into the clinch.
Blackwater escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Blackwater misses with a straight left.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Blackwater needs to keep his hands up - Tawake had a free shot at his head there.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Sloppy strikes from Blackwater. Those never looked like landing.
A cross from Tawake lands.
Blackwater gets tackled into the cage by Tawake. Tawake maintains the clinch.
Tawake creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Blackwater's defenses.
Tawake tries to throw a body punch but Blackwater avoids it by throwing Tawake back against the cage.
Tawake tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Tawake lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Tawake goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Tawake gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Blackwater.
Blackwater dodges an elbow strike from Tawake.
A short right from Tawake on the inside.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Tawake misses with an elbow strike.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Isoa Tawake dominated that round.
That's time! Blackwater's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.
Tawake moves into the clinch.
Blackwater blocks an elbow strike.
Tawake prevents the takedown attempt.
Blackwater is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Tawake tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Blackwater's elbow.
Tawake lands an elbow that stopped Blackwater in his tracks for a moment.
Tawake trying to land knees to the body.
Blackwater takes an elbow to the temple.
Tawake goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
I was talking to Blackwater's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Tawake pushes off an throws an elbow but Blackwater leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Tawake lands an elbow inside.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tawake misses with an elbow strike.
Tawake throws an elbow but it misses.
Blackwater avoids a wild elbow strike from Tawake.
Tawake effectively controlling the action here.
Isoa Tawake seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Blackwater tries for a takedown. No joy.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Tawake is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Blackwater is defending well for now.
Blackwater dodges an elbow strike from Tawake.
Blackwater ties up his opponent against the cage and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. Blackwater no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.
Blackwater is trying to keep Tawake in close.
Tawake has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Tawake prevents Blackwater from getting back to his feet.
Blackwater looking to control.
Blackwater wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Blackwater wants to sweep here but Tawake controlling him for the moment.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Tawake wants to get up but he can't break Blackwater's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Tawake takes the fight into the clinch.
Blackwater blocks the elbow strike.
Tawake misses with a body punch.
Blackwater wants a takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lorenz Blackwater. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Tawake gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Tawake fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Blackwater drops down looking for an ankle pick but Tawake pulls his leg out and moves away.
Tawake chopping away at his opponent's legs.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Blackwater lands a front kick.
Tawake scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Tawake feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Blackwaters jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Blackwater fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Tawake avoids it really well and circles away.
Blackwater takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Blackwater throws a shot from downtown. Tawake moves away and avoids it.
Blackwater loads up on a big right hand but Tawake slips the punch.
Tawake doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Blackwater throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Tawake throws a hook to the side of Blackwater's head but Blackwater sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Blackwater takes a shot to the body in his stride.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tawake misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Blackwater counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Tawake!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Blackwater is chipping away with strikes.
Blackwater thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Tawake pushes Blackwater away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Blackwater gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Blackwater working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Tawake felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.
Blackwater lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Isoa Tawake showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!
Blackwater with a nice cross.
A low kick lands for Tawake.
Blackwater lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
A chopping leg kick lands by Tawake.
Nice uppercut there from Tawake.
Tawake throws a right and a left that both miss.
Tawake attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Blackwater takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Lorenz Blackwater is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Tawake tries to bum rush Blackwater with a series of wild strikes but Blackwater uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Blackwater fires out a quick counter leg kick but Tawake just manages to avoid it.
Blackwater shoots for a double leg takedown but Tawake sprawls well. He's pushed Blackwater's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Tawake unleashes a big counter combination but Blackwater bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Tawake throws a series of punches but Blackwater avoids them all with ease.
Nice shot by Tawake.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Blackwater throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Tawake lands a jab to the head.
Tawake lets loose with a powerful body kick. Blackwater will feel that in the morning.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Blackwater takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Tawake takes the fight into the clinch.
Tawake lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Blackwater is trying to drag Tawake to the mat but Tawake just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Tawake is defending well against a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lorenz Blackwater. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Tawake misses with a short punch on the inside.
Tawake pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Tawake is pressed up against the cage. Blackwater has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Tawake down to the mat. Tawake avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Tawake moves out of range as Blackwater strikes.
Blackwater gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Tawake misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Blackwater.
Tawake stalks Blackwater and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Blackwater's face. Blackwater staggers backwards, shaken.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Blackwater swings and misses with a hook to the body.
It seemed like Tawake was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Tawake closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Tawake lands on the inside with an uppercut.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Blackwater manages to break the clinch.
Blackwater digs a good hook to Tawake's body.
Tawake throws a leg kick which misses Blackwater's front leg but catches the back leg as Blackwater tries to avoid it.
Tawake takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Blackwater misses with a jab, cross combination.
The crowd cheers as Tawake lands an impressive looking overhand right. Blackwater doesn't seem phased though.
Tawake throws a head kick that misses.
Blackwater ducks under a wild hook from Tawake.
Tawake throws a nice head kick!
Tawake fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Jab by Tawake.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tawake on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Tawake on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Tawake keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Blackwater circles away from the clinch attempt
and Blackwater counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Tawake fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Blackwater takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Blackwater gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Tawake lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Tawake throws a series of strikes that have Blackwater backpedaling.
Blackwater looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Blackwater shoots in and bounces Tawake off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Tawake preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Isoa Tawake is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Blackwater looking to pass the guard.
Blackwater drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Tawake dives on top into guard.
Tawake stopping the sweep attempt from Blackwater.
Tawake wants to get up but he can't break Blackwater's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Blackwater wants to control the position but Tawake says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.
Blackwater is looking to improve his position.
And that's the end of the fight!
Isoa Tawake comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Tawake winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Elvis Blanc scores the fight 27:30
Judge Trevor Gratis scores the fight 27:30
Judge Yves DeLean scores the fight 27:30
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Isoa Tawake!
In his post fight interview, Isoa Tawake started talking himself up. Luckily his charisma kept the crowd on side and gave him a good reception.
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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
63% |
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