PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Xaziver Bouchet (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Newton Knuckles (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Bouchet
vs
Knuckles

180 cm
19
189 lbs
1 - 3 - 0

177 cm
20
185 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Granite chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Tends to cut

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 1 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Xaziver Bouchet!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Newton Knuckles!
The judges for this bout are Ian Loll, Robert Douchet and Gregory Folan.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bouchet avoids a punch combination nicely.
Bouchet fails in his attempt to clinch.
Knuckles is looking to chop away at Bouchet's legs.
Bouchet tries to close the distance and clinch up but Knuckles swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Bouchet clinches.
Bouchet drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Knuckles gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Knuckles tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Bouchet smiles and moves away.

Bouchet has closed the distance and engaged Knuckles in a clinch.
Bouchet gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.

It looks like Newton Knuckles has been cut.
Knuckles looking to stall.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bouchet stalls.
Knuckles tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
A right hook to the body lands for Knuckles.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Knuckles pulls Bouchet into guard.
Knuckles is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Knuckles has a closed guard, preventing Bouchet from standing up.
Bouchet won't allow Knuckles to sweep him here.

Knuckles kicks Bouchet off and gets to his feet.
Knuckles will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Xaziver Bouchet has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Newton Knuckles.

Bouchet clinches with his opponent.

Knuckles jumps guard.
Knuckles looking to control.

Bouchet stands and steps away. Knuckles gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Knuckles looks gassed!
Knuckles keeps the fight on the outside.

Bouchet has Knuckles up against the cage in a clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bouchet using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Bouchet prevents a takedown attempt there.
Knuckles has Bouchet pushed against the cage.
Bouchet is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Bouchet gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Knuckles is looking to control Bouchet's arms but Bouchet gets an underhook and turns him. Now Knuckles has his back to the cage.
Bouchet connects with a knee to the head.

Bouchet jumps guard.
Knuckles trying to control but Bouchet is working from the bottom.
Bouchet is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.

Bouchet uses the cage to get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Knuckles circles away from the clinch attempt.

Bouchet has managed to clinch.
Bouchet lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Bouchet is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Knuckles gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Bouchet blocks an uppercut.
Knuckles tries for a takedown but Bouchet manages to get underhooks.

Bouchet breaks from the clinch.

Bouchet has taken the fight to the clinch.

Knuckles breaks from the clinch.
Bouchet wants to clinch.

Bouchet looking for a takedown here - he's got it.

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

Bouchet stands up and waves to Knuckles to follow him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Knuckles keeps the fight on the outside.
Bouchet doesn't manage to clinch there - Knuckles circles away.

Bouchet closes the distance and clinches.
Bouchet tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Bouchet misses with a knee to the head.
Knuckles is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Knuckles struggles to land a body shot inside as Bouchet controls his hands.

Bouchet manages to break the clinch.
Bouchet tries to clinch but Knuckles is having none of it.

Bouchet has Knuckles up against the cage in a clinch.
Knuckles letting Bouchet take a breather here.

Bouchet escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Xaziver Bouchet dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Newton Knuckles's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Bouchet fails with an attempt to clinch.

Knuckles gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Knuckles fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Bouchet gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Knuckles tries for a takedown. No joy.
Bouchet avoiding damage.
Knuckles tries for a takedown. No joy.
Xaziver Bouchet has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Newton Knuckles.
Bouchet stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.

Bouchet manages to break the clinch.
Bouchet tries to clinch but Knuckles moves away

and Knuckles counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Knuckles passes the half guard and he's now in mount! Big trouble for Bouchet!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bouchet taking shots to the head.
Knuckles is breathing heavily.
Knuckles working away from the top, dropping strikes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knuckles scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Knuckles trying to control but Bouchet is having none of it.
Bouchet wants to use the cage to get back to his feet here.

Knuckles is working for a guillotine from mount but Bouchet frees his head quite easily.
Bouchet wants to try and get back to his feet.
Knuckles tries to control but Bouchet wriggling away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Bouchet wants to get back to his feet.
Knuckles controlling from the full mount.
Bouchet squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.

Knuckles is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Bouchet is surviving well by controlling Knuckles's body position as best he can.
You get the feeling that Bouchet really doesn't like being in this position too much.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Knuckles looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.
Bouchet really wants to buck Knuckles off and get back to his feet.
Knuckles controlling the position easily from mount.
Bouchet is trying to stand but he's just given Knuckles his back.
Knuckles controls the action.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.

Knuckles is looking for the choke from the back position but Bouchet is controlling his hands well.
Knuckles struggling to keep hold of the position.

Knuckles has his opponent's back and is working for the choke.
Bouchet controlling the position well but he knows he's in a bad position.
Newton Knuckles has got the better of the ground game so far.
So, who will make the next big move? In this position it could be crucial.
Bouchet prevents Knuckles from getting a body triangle.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Newton Knuckles showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Newton Knuckles's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Bouchet tries to clinch
and Knuckles cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.

Bouchet closes the distance and clinches.
Knuckles jumps guard but Bouchet stands there with Knuckles around his waist. Knuckles gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Bouchet looking to slow down the pace here.
Bouchet lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Knuckles misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Bouchet.
Bouchet misses with a knee to the head.
Bouchet tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Knuckles smiles and moves away.

Knuckles gets a clinch.
Bouchet stops a takedown attempt from Knuckles.
Bouchet with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Knuckles wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Bouchet wants to stall.
Knuckles looking for a takedown.
Xaziver Bouchet has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Newton Knuckles.
Bouchet is stalling here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knuckles tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Bouchet smiles and moves away.

Knuckles fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Bouchet, pushing him back against the cage.

Bouchet has Knuckles pressed up against the cage. He's trying to work for a single leg takedown. Bouchet pulls back from the cage and twists to the side, sending Knuckles tumbling to the mat - Bouchet dives into Knuckles's guard.
Bouchet is looking to stand up but Knuckles won't let him.
Knuckles is trying to control the position but Bouchet postures up.
Knuckles wants to sweep here but Bouchet controlling him for the moment.
Knuckles is pulling down on Bouchet's head to control his posture.
Bouchet has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Knuckles is proving hard to escape from.
Bouchet has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Knuckles is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Bouchet trying to stand up but can't free himself from Knuckles's guard.

Knuckles is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.
Knuckles tries for a takedown but Bouchet manages to get underhooks.
Bouchet landing knees to the head.
Bouchet fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Knuckles wants to break free but Bouchet has control.
Knuckles trying to stall but Bouchet improves his position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bouchet throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Bouchet scores a nice knee to the body.
Bouchet creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Bouchet connects with a knee to the head.

Bouchet breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Knuckles shoots for a takedown but Bouchet saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Bouchet closes the distance looking to clinch

and Knuckles decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Bouchet's guard.
Knuckles wants to control from the top but Bouchet keeps moving.
Knuckles pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Bouchet is keeping the position for now.
Bouchet is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Bouchet being controlled here, momentarily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bouchet keeping moving, preventing Knuckles from controlling successfully.
Knuckles keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Bouchet's head.

Knuckles stands and steps away. Bouchet gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.

Knuckles drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Knuckles wants to pass the guard but Bouchet is keeping the position.
Knuckles prevents Bouchet from getting back to his feet.

And that's the end of the fight!
Newton Knuckles comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Knuckles has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Ian Loll scores the fight 28:29
Judge Robert Douchet scores the fight 28:29
Judge Gregory Folan scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Newton Knuckles!