PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Jean Sibelius (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kale Cruz (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Cruz comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Welcome to the Jungle kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Jean Sibelius is staring across the cage at his opponent, tweaking his nipples... Tweaking his own nipples that is.

Sibelius
vs
Cruz

175 cm
31
165 lbs
26 - 6 - 0

168 cm
35
163 lbs
35 - 19 - 0

Great wrestler
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

ADCC Champion
Lethal high kicks
Good gas tank

Perkele!
Untouchable Fight Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 26 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Jean Sibelius!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 35 - 19 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kale Cruz!
The judges for this bout are Sosuke Kotani, Shigeki Fujiwara and Yukihiro Shimada.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cruz scores with a hook.
Sibelius keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Cruz.
Cruz keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Sibelius misses with a looping right.
Cruz jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Cruz uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Sibelius.

Cruz scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Sibelius is trying to improve his position.
Cruz is looking to take a break and control but Sibelius is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Sibelius is looking for a sweep.
Cruz connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Sibelius some visible discomfort.
You can see the frustration on Sibelius's face as Cruz controls the position.
Cruz scoring with punches from side control.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sibelius is trying to control Cruz's posture but Cruz avoids it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cruz is looking to take a break and control but Sibelius is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Sibelius manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Cruz has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Sibelius is working away from the top position though.
Sibelius thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Cruz's head.
Sibelius looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Sibelius wants to control but Cruz is keeping him busy.
Cruz has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Sibelius is pressing down on Cruz's thigh, looking to free his foot. Cruz is holding on for now.
Cruz on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Cruz defending well though.
Cruz gets back to full guard.
Sibelius throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Sibelius wants to pass the guard but Cruz is keeping the position.
Sibelius trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Cruz wants to sweep here but Sibelius controlling him for the moment.
Sibelius wants to control from the top but Cruz keeps moving.
Cruz wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Sibelius is looking to work some ground and pound but Cruz has wrist control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius wants to control from the top but Cruz keeps moving.
Cruz looking for a sweep. Not yet Cruz, not yet.
Sibelius trying to control the position from guard on top but Cruz is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Sibelius scores with a jab.
Sibelius ducks right into an uppercut from Cruz.
Cruz scores with a body shot.
Cruz on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Sibelius's corner calls for a 1-2. Sibelius obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.

Sibelius decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Cruz keeping control of the position.
Sibelius is looking to take a break and control but Cruz is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Cruz is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Cruz avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Sibelius.
Cruz is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

Cruz looking for submissions from an awkward position here.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Sibelius is keen to just control but Cruz is a slippery customer.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Sibelius connects with a nice short shot to Cruz's temple.
Sibelius throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Sibelius is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Cruz trying to control from the bottom.
Sibelius working Cruz over with strikes.
Cruz is trying to stand up here but Sibelius is controlling him well.
Sibelius is looking to pass Cruz's guard but actually Cruz recovers to full guard.
Cruz looking to hit a scissor sweep but Sibelius is one step ahead there.
Sibelius trying to control but Cruz is working from the bottom.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Cruz preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Sibelius with a flurry of punches that miss.
Sibelius trying to control but Cruz is working from the bottom.
Cruz wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Sibelius trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Sibelius advances to half guard.
Sibelius wants to free his trapped foot but Cruz is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Sibelius lands with a punch from half guard.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Cruz keeps control of the position for the meantime.
Well, if Sibelius is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Cruz regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Sibelius.
Cruz working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Sibelius.
Cruz looking to control.
Sibelius throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Cruz works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Sibelius throwing strikes but missing.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Cruz bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Sibelius's guard.
Cruz trying to control the position from guard on top but Sibelius is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Sibelius looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Cruz postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Cruz wants to control from the top but Sibelius keeps moving.
Cruz is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Sibelius wants to sweep but no luck.
Sibelius manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Cruz manages to get himself to full guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sibelius trying to control but Cruz is working from the bottom.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius is looking to work some ground and pound but Cruz has wrist control.
Sibelius throws an elbow that misses. Cruz uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Sibelius's guard. Nice move by Cruz!

Sibelius is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Cruz works over Sibelius with some ground and pound from guard.
Cruz wants to pass the guard but Sibelius is keeping the position.
Cruz wants to control from the top but Sibelius keeps moving.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sibelius is looking to sweep but instead, Cruz has passed into half guard.
Cruz with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jean Sibelius dominated that round.
That's time! Sibelius's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Sibelius closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Cruz's guard.
Cruz working a defensive guard here.
Sibelius trying to control but Cruz is working from the bottom.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Sibelius pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Cruz is keeping the position for now.
Cruz looking to hit a scissor sweep but Sibelius is one step ahead there.
Cruz can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Sibelius controls the pace.
Sibelius throws an elbow that misses. Cruz uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Sibelius's guard. Nice move by Cruz!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sibelius wants to sweep but no luck.
Cruz working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Cruz stopping the sweep attempt from Sibelius.
Sibelius avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Cruz wants to control from the top but Sibelius keeps moving.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Sibelius is on top in guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Cruz is keeping the position for now.
Sibelius is pushing down on Cruz's leg trying to pass to half guard. Cruz is fighting to maintain full guard but Sibelius has managed to sneak the leg through.

Sibelius wants to work for an arm triangle but Cruz is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Sibelius connects with a nice short shot to Cruz's temple.
Cruz is looking to improve his position.
Sibelius takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Sibelius thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Cruz's head.
Sibelius is keen to just control but Cruz is a slippery customer.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cruz wants to control but Sibelius is keeping busy.

Sibelius is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Cruz defends it well.

Sibelius is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Cruz is just riding it out for now. Sibelius eventually gives up the hold.
Cruz avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Sibelius.
Sibelius sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Cruz defending well though.
Cruz moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Cruz is keeping the position for now.
Sibelius throws an elbow that misses. Cruz uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Sibelius's guard. Nice move by Cruz!
Sibelius looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Sibelius is working hard here to advance position.
Cruz throwing strikes from guard but Sibelius blocks nicely.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Cruz makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Cruz stopping the sweep attempt from Sibelius.
Cruz is working Sibelius over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Cruz chips away with some ground and pound.
Cruz preventing the sweep.
Cruz trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Cruz postures up.
Sibelius looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Cruz stands up over Sibelius, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Cruz trying to control but Sibelius is working from the bottom.
Sibelius wants to sweep here but Cruz controlling him for the moment.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius trying to control the position.

Sibelius is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Cruz is aware though and is defending well.

Cruz is holding a leg here, probably looking for an ankle lock - he drops back and goes for it! Sibelius is in trouble! Is it all over??? No! Sibelius has escaped and now he's on top!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Cruz is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Jean Sibelius overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Sibelius is not content to let Cruz control the position.
Cruz is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius is looking for a sweep. Cruz is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Cruz is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Sibelius works his way to full guard. Good work.
Sibelius keeping moving, preventing Cruz from controlling successfully.
Sibelius is trying to keep Cruz in close.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Kale Cruz hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Cruz throws a right hand that Sibelius ducks under and follows up with a left that Sibelius also avoids with ease.
Cruz misses with a low kick.
Sibelius defending well as Cruz loads up on a big left hand.
Cruz scores with a nice right hand.
Cruz slips under a jab.
Cruz moves out of range as Sibelius strikes.
Sibelius has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Cruz shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Sibelius as he avoids it easily.
Sibelius takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Cruz throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Cruz throws a right and a left that Sibelius avoids nicely.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Cruz thows a left - swing and a miss!
Sibelius takes a swing at Cruz's ribcage but misses.
Cruz looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Cruz shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Sibelius but Sibelius pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Jean Sibelius has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kale Cruz.
Cruz is breathing heavily.
Cruz looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.

Cruz 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.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sibelius looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Sibelius throws some sloppy strikes off his back.
Cruz trying to control but Sibelius is working from the bottom.
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 Jean Sibelius will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Sibelius changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Cruz tries to avoid it but Sibelius manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Cruz to the ground. Cruz escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Sibelius with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Cruz to score with a decent uppercut.
Cruz throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Sibelius rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Cruz moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Sibelius thows a left - swing and a miss!
Cruz punishes Sibelius's body with a nice straight punch.
Cruz throws a lazy right hand but Sibelius sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Sibelius takes a swing at Cruz's ribcage but misses.
Sibelius swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Sibelius looks to land a left hand but Cruz moved out of range nicely.
Cruz takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Cruz thumps Sibelius with a low kick.
Cruz lands a jab to the nose.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sibelius ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
A jab from Cruz finds it's way through Sibelius's defenses.
Cruz lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
A slow jab from Sibelius misses its intended target.
Cruz throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Sibelius keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Cruz.
Cruz lands a body shot.
Sibelius cracks Cruz with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Sibelius looks to score with a jab to the body but Cruz is just out of range.
Kale Cruz seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Cruz takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.

Sibelius shoots in and bounces Cruz off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Sibelius throws a big elbow that misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius wants to pass the guard but Cruz is keeping the position.
Cruz is trying to control the position but Sibelius postures up.
Sibelius pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Cruz is keeping the position for now.
Sibelius passes into half guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Cruz avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Sibelius.
Sibelius sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Cruz defending well though.
Sibelius looks to land a strike but Cruz avoids it nicely and regains full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius stopping the sweep attempt from Cruz.
Sibelius pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Cruz is keeping the position for now.
Cruz is pulling down on Sibelius's head. It's preventing any offense from Sibelius, at least for the moment.
Cruz wants to sweep here but Sibelius controlling him for the moment.
Sibelius trying to control the position from guard on top but Cruz is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Cruz takes one to the side of the head.
Sibelius shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Cruz pinned against the cage. Cruz gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Cruz defending well as Sibelius loads up on a big left hand.
Cruz throws a jab when Sibelius was well out of range.
Cruz throws a hook but Sibelius blocks it.

Sibelius shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Cruz manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Cruz wants to sweep here but Sibelius controlling him for the moment.
Sibelius makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Cruz keeping moving, preventing Sibelius from controlling successfully.
Cruz working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Sibelius.
Cruz is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Cruz manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Sibelius tries to get back to half guard but can't.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
A nice elbow there by Cruz.
Sibelius is squirming around, avoiding Cruz's attempts to control the action.
Sibelius is in all sorts of trouble here.
Cruz tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Sibelius keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Cruz raining down shots from the mount!
Sibelius tries to reverse the position but Cruz maintains control.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Cruz with a couple of short strikes.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Cruz trying to control but Sibelius is having none of it.
Sibelius is trying desperately to improve position.
Cruz raining down shots from the mount!
Cruz looking to finish Sibelius with some ground and pound. This is bad for Sibelius!
Cruz looking to control and managing it successfully.
Sibelius bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
Sibelius won't allow Cruz to sweep him here.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Sibelius advances to half guard.
Sibelius throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Cruz is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Sibelius scores with a couple of nice shots.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sibelius looks to land a strike but Cruz avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Cruz is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Sibelius forces his way into half guard.
Sibelius is looking to take a break and control but Cruz is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Sibelius not landing any meaningful shots this time.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Sibelius throwing shots but Cruz is blocking nicely.
Cruz has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Sibelius is working away from the top position though.
Cruz is trying to avoid being dragged into an even worse position than he's already in but Sibelius is staying active.
Cruz on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Cruz blocking the ground and pound attempt from Sibelius.

Sibelius is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Cruz is just riding it out for now. Sibelius eventually gives up the hold.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sibelius throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jean Sibelius showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Sibelius, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Sosuke Kotani scores the fight for Jean Sibelius!
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight for Jean Sibelius!
Judge Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight for Jean Sibelius!

Jean Sibelius wins by unanimous decision!
Jean Sibelius retains his lightweight title!
Jean Sibelius seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.