PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Alexander Gracie (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hazel Murphi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Alexander Gracie had a look across the cage there at his opponent. He definitely means business

Gracie
vs
Murphi

190 cm
22
210 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

181 cm
23
205 lbs
4 - 0 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter striker
Granite chin

BJJ White Belt
Good kicks
Granite chin

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Alexander Gracie!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Hazel Murphi!
The judges for this bout are Luis Engracia, Emerson Jorge and Paulo Santos.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gracie circles away from the clinch attempt.

Murphi forces Gracie back against the cage and clinches.

Gracie drags the fight down to the ground.

Gracie pushes Murphi off and gets back to his feet.
Murphi tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Gracie paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Murphi throws a head kick but Gracie moves out of range.
Murphi doesn't manage to clinch there - Gracie circles away.
Murphi throws a wild body kick that Gracie sees coming a mile off.
Murphi tries a head kick but it misses.
Murphi tries a head kick but it misses.
Gracie tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Murphi counters with a low kick, right behind Gracie 's knee.
Gracie doesn't manage to clinch there - Murphi circles away.

Murphi moves into the clinch.
Murphi has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Gracie is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Murphi tries to circle away but Gracie has him pinned against the cage.
Murphi drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Gracie gets the underhooks and prevents it.

Gracie pulls guard effortlessly.
Gracie looking for a sweep. Not yet Gracie, not yet.
Murphi wanted to stand there but Gracie had control of the position.
Murphi trying to control but Gracie is working from the bottom.

Gracie escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Murphi gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.

Gracie looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Murphi not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Gracie is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Murphi missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Gracie trying to keep a closed guard but Murphi is proving a slippery customer.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Gracie is really struggling to control Murphi but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Murphi trying to control but Gracie is working from the bottom.
Murphi would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.

Murphi gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Murphi trying to control the position but instead, Gracie has worked for underhooks and has pushed Murphi into the cage.
Gracie wants a takedown but no success here.

Murphi breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Gracie shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Murphi pinned against the cage. Murphi gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Gracie takes a head kick and keeps coming.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gracie looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Alexander Gracie. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Murphi lands with a thumping leg kick.
Gracie shoots for a double leg takedown but Murphi sprawls well. He's pushed Gracie's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Murphi throws a big shot that misses.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Gracie is defended easily by Murphi.
Gracie is breathing heavily.
The fight stays on the outside here - Murphi looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Murphi is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hazel Murphi dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Gracie 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.
Gracie pushing down on Murphi's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Murphi trying to control but Gracie postures up.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Murphi can do anything to dispel that myth.
Murphi is trying is best to control the position here.

Gracie is working for a submission of some sort.

Gracie is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Murphi defends it well.
Murphi really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Gracie. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Murphi is not content to let Gracie control the position.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie stops Murphi from getting back to his feet.
Murphi is trying to get back to full guard.
Murphi wants to get back to his feet.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Murphi scores with a push kick.
Gracie tries for a takedown but Murphi circles away easily
and Murphi counters with a nice body kick.
Murphi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Gracie swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Murphi delivers a nice body kick.
Murphi darts in trying to clinch

and Gracie counters with a nice double leg into side control. Murphi won't be happy with that.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Murphi is pushing Gracie's head away, looking to escape. Gracie manages to hold on to the position though.
Murphi wings away with a couple of strikes but they don't land.
Gracie is looking to take a break and control but Murphi is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Murphi is trying to control Gracie's posture but Gracie avoids it.

Gracie working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.

Gracie is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Murphi is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Murphi misses with a strike from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Gracie is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Murphi knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Murphi throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Murphi fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Gracie.
Gracie moves out of range of the strikes.
Alexander Gracie is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Murphi lands with a thumping leg kick.
The fight stays on the outside here - Murphi looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Murphi chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Hazel Murphi seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gracie keeps the fight on the outside.
Murphi tries to clinch there but Gracie circles away.
Gracie shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Murphi makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Gracie really felt that one!
Murphi scores with a head kick.
A head kick misses from Murphi.
Gracie will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Alexander Gracie. That's going to take a lot out of him.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Murphi throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Murphi lands with a kick to the temple. Gracie shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Hazel Murphi seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Murphi dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Gracie. That did some damage!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hazel Murphi showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

A solid body kick from Murphi.
Murphi throws a head kick that half lands.
Gracie dives in and grabs Murphi's left leg, looking for a takedown. Murphi pushes down on Gracie's head and hops out.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Murphi is defended easily by Gracie.
Gracie shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Murphi counters with an outside leg kick.

Gracie shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Murphi napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Gracie trying to control the action but Murphi is working from the bottom.

Gracie looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Murphi is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie trying to control the position but Murphi is working away.
Murphi wants to get back to his feet.
Murphi is positioning himself to get back to half guard.

Gracie tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Gracie has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Gracie wants to control but Murphi is keeping him busy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Gracie wants to stand but Murphi is controlling his arm.
Murphi is trying to get back to half guard.

Gracie tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Gracie has knee on belly momentarily but Murphi bucks him off and regains half guard.
Gracie is thwarting Murphi's attempts to control the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gracie is trying to control the action in half guard but Murphi is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Hazel Murphi is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Murphi, right into the meat.
Gracie takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Gracie shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Murphi sprawls well. Murphi wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Gracie gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Alexander Gracie. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Murphi tries to clinch up.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Murphi, right into the meat.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Murphi plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Murphi tries to clinch there but Gracie circles away.
Murphi throws a nice outside leg kick.
Murphi displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Gracie.
Murphi moves in looking to clinch but Gracie pushes him off.
Gracie has his takedown stuffed
and Murphi counters with a nice low kick that buckles Gracie's knee momentarily.
Murphi throws a nice head kick!
Gracie chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Murphi can pounce on him.
Alexander Gracie has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Murphi tries to clinch but Gracie is having none of it.

And that's the end of the fight!
Hazel Murphi comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Murphi 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 Luis Engracia scores the fight 27:30
Judge Emerson Jorge scores the fight 27:30
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Hazel Murphi!