PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Ren Gracie (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Doug McSwain (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Gracie comes to the cage accompanied by Wu-Tang Clan - Protect Ya Neck. McSwain has chosen Jack Thammarat - My Headache Song as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Doug McSwain will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Gracie
vs
McSwain

188 cm
25
194 lbs
10 - 4 - 0

185 cm
25
195 lbs
11 - 4 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

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 10 - 4 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Ren Gracie!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 4 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Doug McSwain!
The judges for this bout are Dmitry Maklakov, Illya Tyunina and Valeri Chadov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gracie shoots and misses
and McSwain cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.

It looks like Ren Gracie has been cut.
A jab from McSwain misses.
Gracie avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Gracie lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.

Gracie shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. McSwain is trying to defend but Gracie finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Gracie throwing shots but McSwain is blocking nicely.
Gracie passes to side control.
Gracie misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Gracie throws an elbow but McSwain slips to the side and avoids it well.
Gracie wants to lay and pray for a moment but McSwain keeps working.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
McSwain prevents Gracie from moving into mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McSwain tries to bench press Gracie off him but Gracie keeps the position.
Gracie sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but McSwain is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.

Gracie is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. McSwain knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Gracie cracks McSwain with a big right hand but McSwain just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
McSwain tries to buck Gracie off but Gracie is having none of it.
Gracie tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
An elbow from Gracie crashes against the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
McSwain dodges the ground and pound from Gracie.
Gracie laying and praying for a moment but McSwain takes advantage and regains half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Gracie looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Gracie thows a huge punch but McSwain dodges it nicely.
McSwain trying to hold on to Gracie's head to control him but Gracie postures up.

Gracie wants to work for an arm triangle but McSwain is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
McSwain has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Gracie is working away from the top position though.
Gracie sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. McSwain defending well though.
Gracie trying to control from half guard but McSwain is working away.
Gracie lands with a punch from half guard.
Gracie seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.

Gracie is sneakily working for an arm triangle but McSwain sees it coming and defends easily.
McSwain is looking to improve his position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
McSwain wants to control but Gracie is keeping busy and won't allow it.
McSwain avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Gracie.
Gracie is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.

Gracie seems to be working for a kimura but McSwain defends the submission attempt.
McSwain is staying active underneath Gracie, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
McSwain tries to roll over but Gracie keeps him under control.
Gracie moves into full mount! McSwain won't be happy about that!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ren Gracie dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Ren Gracie's cut.
That's time! Gracie's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Gracie looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
McSwain 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.
McSwain working a defensive guard here.
Gracie with a nice head shot there.
McSwain wants to stand but Gracie is controlling the position.
Gracie trying to control the position from guard on top but McSwain is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Gracie trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
McSwain looking for a sweep. Not yet McSwain, not yet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McSwain can't keep his opponent in guard - Gracie advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Gracie works his way into side control.
Gracie throws an elbow but McSwain slips to the side and avoids it well.

Gracie wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by McSwain, who protects the arm well.
McSwain on the wrong end of some ground and pound.
Sloppy strikes there by Gracie.
Gracie controls the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie landing strikes.

Gracie is trying to get an arm triangle but McSwain is defending well.

Gracie is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. McSwain knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Gracie has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Gracie takes a little break here. McSwain wants to take advantage but he is being controlled well.
Gracie cracks McSwain with a big elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gracie advances nicely into full mount.
Gracie trying to control but McSwain is having none of it.
Gracie throws some wild stikes that McSwain manages to avoid easily.
McSwain wants to control but Gracie is having none of it.
Gracie looking to ground and pound but McSwain is blocking nicely.
McSwain throwing punches from his back but nothing is landing.

Gracie goes for an armbar but he's not got it… McSwain turns into him and now he's in Gracie's guard.
McSwain throws a strike but Gracie rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gracie sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Gracie pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. McSwain is keeping the position for now.
Gracie loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ren Gracie dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Ren Gracie's cut.
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. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

McSwain with a hook.
McSwain tries to close the distance and clinch but Gracie swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
McSwain connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
McSwain throws a lazy right hand but Gracie sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Gracie slips under a jab from McSwain.
McSwain misses with an uppercut.
McSwain lands a right hook to the body.
Gracie takes a shot to the body in his stride.
McSwain misses with an uppercut. Gracie saw that one coming.
McSwain misses with a two punch combination.
Gracie with a poor takedown
and McSwain counters with a right hand to the body.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
McSwain fails with an attempt to clinch.
McSwain scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

McSwain clinches.
McSwain scores with a hook to the body.
A short right hand to the side of the head by McSwain.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McSwain working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Gracie letting McSwain take a breather here.
McSwain works on Gracie's body with a couple of short punches.

McSwain wants the takedown. Gracie is fighting it off but McSwain persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in Gracie's guard against the cage.
McSwain working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
McSwain postures up in Gracie's guard and throws a big left but Gracie blocks it.
McSwain with a flurry of punches that miss.
McSwain content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
McSwain must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
McSwain wants to control from the top but Gracie keeps moving.
McSwain lands a couple of decent looking shots.
McSwain in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
McSwain throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Gracie works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie trying to keep a closed guard but McSwain is proving a slippery customer.
Gracie preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as McSwain accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Gracie is trying to control the position from the bottom.
McSwain chips away with some ground and pound.
McSwain thows a big elbow that misses.
McSwain chips away with some ground and pound.
McSwain works over Gracie with some ground and pound from guard.
McSwain trying to control but Gracie is working from the bottom.
McSwain postures up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as McSwain accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Gracie holds on and takes a little breather.
McSwain wants to control from the top but Gracie keeps moving.
McSwain controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Ren Gracie is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Gracie with a lazy takedown attempt
and McSwain counters with a stiff right hand.
Gracie tries for a takedown but McSwain circles away easily
and McSwain counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ren Gracie. That's going to take a lot out of him.
McSwain throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Gracie.
Doug McSwain seems to be getting the better of the standup.
McSwain misses with a straight right.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
McSwain with a body punch. A glancing blow.
McSwain throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Gracie defending well as McSwain loads up on a big left hand.
McSwain thows a left - swing and a miss!
A swing and a miss from McSwain.

Gracie shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
McSwain moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Doug McSwain has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
McSwain pulls Gracie in close to prevent any damage.
Gracie is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

And that's the end of the fight!
Doug McSwain comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Gracie has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 29:28
Judge Illya Tyunina scores the fight 29:28
Judge Valeri Chadov scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ren Gracie!