PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Dante Santiago (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Doug Harden (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). 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.

Santiago
vs
Harden

180 cm
20
165 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

186 cm
21
172 lbs
10 - 3 - 0

Decent wrestler
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Powerful

[JMFC] 160!

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Dante Santiago!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Doug Harden!
The judges for this bout are Russell Pearce, Lou da Vinci and Anthony Taglia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Harden misses with a lunging right hand
and Santiago cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Santiago swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Harden.
Harden throws a right hand that misses
and Santiago counters with a nice body shot.

Santiago has closed the distance and engaged Harden in a clinch.
Santiago just leaning against Harden, taking a breather.
Santiago throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Hardens head.

It looks like Doug Harden has been cut.
Santiago is pushing Harden up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Harden tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Santiago's elbow.
Santiago stalls.
Santiago throws a head punch that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Santiago effectively controlling the action here.
Santiago lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Santiago lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Santiago content to slow the pace in the clinch.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Dante Santiago.
Harden swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Santiago makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Harden rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Santiago moves into the clinch.
The referee calls for Santiago to work.
Harden blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Harden blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Santiago content to slow the pace in the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Santiago keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Harden's efforts to push away.
Harden blocks an uppercut.
Santiago lands a hook to the side of the head.
Santiago lands with a short shot to the head.
Harden blocking some punches.
Santiago will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Harden up against the cage.
Santiago lands a body punch.
Harden is trying to break the clinch but Santiago is controlling him.
Santiago lands a body punch in the clinch.
Santiago just leaning against Harden, taking a breather.
Santiago has a couple of punches blocked by Harden.
Harden's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Santiago has Harden pressed against the cage.
A body shot lands from Santiago.
Santiago dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Santiago lands a hook that snaps the head of Harden backwards.
Harden wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Santiago is working Harden over against the cage.
A short left from Santiago.
Santiago slowing the pace effectively.
Santiago gets a warning from the ref for wasting time.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Dante Santiago.

Santiago has Harden up against the cage in a clinch.
Santiago has Harden pressed against the cage.
Santiago has a couple of punches blocked by Harden.
Harden has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Harden is trying to break the clinch but Santiago is controlling him.
Santiago will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Harden up against the cage.
Santiago lands a right hand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dante Santiago dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Doug Harden's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Harden throws a left and a right that both miss
and Santiago counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Good shot there by Harden.
Santiago tries to close the distance and clinch up but Harden swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Harden connects with a crisp jab.
Harden throws a lazy uppercut
and Harden takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Harden swings away with a body shot that misses

and Santiago counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Santiago misses with a short punch on the inside.
Santiago leaning his opponent against the cage.
Harden wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The referee is keeping an eye on Santiago - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
The crowd are getting pretty annoyed with Santiago for his constant stalling in the clinch and are voicing their displeasure.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Dante Santiago.

Santiago gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Harden is looking to break free of the clinch but Santiago has double underhooks.
Santiago misses with the head strike.
A short right from Santiago on the inside.
A short uppercut from Santiago.
Harden tries to work over Santiago's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Santiago holding his opponent close, against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Santiago throws a punch but it's blocked by Harden.

Harden breaks the clinch.
A combination from Santiago does no damage.
Harden scores with a body shot.
Santiago slips a jab and a cross from Harden.
Harden misses with a shot to the body
and Santiago counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Santiago just misses with a punch to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harden misses with a jab to the body
and Santiago counters with a stiff right hand.
Harden with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Harden swings for the body but Santiago moves out of range.
Santiago scores with a one two! Harden had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Harden throws a predictable looking body shot
and Harden takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Harden ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Harden looks to land a combination but Santiago avoids it well.
Santiago lands a body shot.
Harden misses with a shot to the body
and Santiago counters with a left to the body.
Doug Harden seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Santiago tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Harden paws at him with a jab and circles away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Harden misses with a jab to the body
and Santiago counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Harden lands a jab to the head.

Santiago pushes Harden up against the cage in a clinch.
The referee calls for Santiago to work.
Harden is looking to break free of the clinch but Santiago has double underhooks.
Harden tries to break the clinch but Santiago is controlling the position.
Harden is trying to push Santiago away but Santiago has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Santiago lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Santiago lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Harden is trying to push Santiago away but Santiago has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Santiago throws a head punch that misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Dante Santiago will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Doug Harden's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Santiago lands a jab to the head.
Harden misses with a right hand
and Santiago connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Harden throws a predictable looking body shot
and Santiago cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Santiago throws a hook but Harden blocks it.
Harden misses with an uppercut
and Santiago cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Harden misses with a shot to the body
and Santiago counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Harden lands with a nice body punch.
Harden lands a jab.
Santiago connects with a single shot there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Harden feints a jab promting Santiago to slip. Harden then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Santiago slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Harden throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Santiago counters with a nice body shot.
Harden throws an off balance right hand
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
and Santiago makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Harden uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Santiago has time to react.
Harden rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Santiago counters with a stiff right hand.
Harden misses with an uppercut
and Santiago counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Harden moves out of range of the strikes.
Harden takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Harden misses with a left hand

and Santiago moves into the clinch.
Harden looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Santiago goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Doug Harden has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Santiago prevents Harden from breaking the clinch.
The referee calls for Santiago to work.
Harden goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Santiago lands with a left to the head.
A bit of stalling here from Santiago.
Harden's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Harden blocks a body shot from Santiago.
Santiago pressing his opponent against the cage.
Harden blocks an uppercut.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Santiago lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Santiago lands with a short shot to the head.
Santiago taking a breather.
Santiago cracks Harden with a nice body shot.
Santiago doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Santiago pressing his opponent against the cage.
Santiago lands with a right to the head.
Harden is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Santiago throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Santiago will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Harden up against the cage.
Harden is trying to force a seperation but Santiago has the dominant position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Santiago lands a shoulder strike.
Santiago lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Harden looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Harden tries to break the clinch but Santiago is controlling the position.
Santiago has Harden pushed against the cage.
Santiago swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Santiago scores with a shot to the side of Harden's head.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Santiago works on Harden's body with a couple of short punches.
Santiago leaning against his opponent.
Harden tries to circle away but Santiago has him pinned against the cage.
Santiago fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Harden misses with a body punch.
Nice body punch from Santiago - that landed with a thud.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Harden.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dante Santiago showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Santiago has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Russell Pearce scores the fight 30:27
Judge Lou da Vinci scores the fight 30:27
Judge Anthony Taglia scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dante Santiago!