PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Danza Kuduro (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Daniel Speed (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Kuduro comes to the cage accompanied by Don Omar - Danza Kuduro. Speed has chosen Amon Tobin / El Cargo as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Kuduro
vs
Speed

180 cm
29
205 lbs
18 - 5 - 1

200 cm
26
217 lbs
20 - 4 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Conviction
Brute

Hardcore Nutrition
Perkele!

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 18 - 5 - 1, fighting out of New York, Danza Kuduro!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 20 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Daniel Speed!
The judges for this bout are Phil Schofield, Chris Edwards and Colin Fotheringham.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Speed throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Kuduro misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Daniel Speed seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Speed pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Speed misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Speed misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Speed changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Speed ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Kuduro moves away.
Kuduro lands a leg kick that knocks Speed off balance momentarily.
Kuduro scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Speed throws a left and a right that both miss
and Kuduro counters with a solid body kick.
Speed looks winded!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Kuduro's corner calls for a 1-2. Kuduro obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.

It looks like Daniel Speed has been cut.
The fighters circle momentarily. Speed darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
The fighters circling - Speed throws out the jab but it was never going to land.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuduro displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Speed throws out the jab.
Kuduro throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A big right from Speed misses.
Speed lands a lovely overhand right.

Kuduro closes the distance and clinches.
Kuduro manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Speed tries to work over Kuduro's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Kuduro tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Speed blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Still in the clinch, Kuduro scores with a nice short uppercut.
Kuduro misses with a body punch.
Speed wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

Speed breaks from the clinch.
Speed tries to work over Kuduro's front leg with a kick but Kuduro checks it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Speed moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Kuduro on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Speed connects with a solid leg kick.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Speed looks for the body kick but Kuduro saw that one coming.

Speed clinches up with Kuduro and pushes him back against the cage.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Kuduro avoiding damage as Speed throws knees to the body.
A short body shot lands from Kuduro as the two fighters clinch.
Kuduro throws a head punch that misses.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Speed.
Kuduro lands with a right to the head.
Speed blocks a body shot from Kuduro.
Speed misses with a short punch on the inside.
Kuduro misses with a short punch on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuduro doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Kuduro scores with a shot to the side of Speed's head.
Kuduro misses with some punches.
Speed blocks a punch to the side of the head.
A right hook to the body lands for Speed.
Kuduro is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Speed is keeping busy.
Speed fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Kuduro misses with the head strike.
Kuduro presses Speed against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Nice body punch from Speed.
Kuduro fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Kuduro tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Speed misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Speed lands on the inside with an uppercut.

Speed manages to break the clinch.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Kuduro wants to clinch

and Speed counters by clinching up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Speed throws a punch but it's blocked by Kuduro.
Kuduro misses with a hook from the clinch.
Speed creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Kuduro misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Speed lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Kuduro just leaning against Speed, taking a breather.
Kuduro tries a body shot but Speed blocks it.
Speed tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Kuduro misses with a shot to the kidneys.

Speed manages to break the clinch.
Speed stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Kuduro.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Kuduro swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Speed counters with a good low kick that Kuduro was not able to check.
Speed misses with a body shot.
Speed checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Danza Kuduro will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Daniel Speed's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Speed pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Good work by Kuduro as he checks the leg kick.
Speed with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Kuduro drops his hands momentarily and Speed takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Speed tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Kuduro is able to avoid easily.
Speed tries to close the distance and clinch up but Kuduro swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Speed throws a right hand that misses
and Kuduro counters with a thumping low kick.
Speed tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Kuduro manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Speed avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Speed scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Speed throws a sloppy head kick
and Speed takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Speed uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Kuduro.
Speed misses with a hook. Kuduro ducked under it nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuduro connects with a solid leg kick.
Speed is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Speed steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Kuduro.
Speed lands a nice leg kick that just misses Kuduro's sensitive parts.
Kuduro on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Speed. Speed obviously looking to wear him down.
Speed walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Kuduro checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Speed tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Kuduro counters with a single leg into guard. Speed didn't expect that.
Kuduro might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Kuduro trying to control the position from guard on top but Speed is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Kuduro postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kuduro throws a strike but Speed rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Speed won't allow Kuduro to sweep him here.
Kuduro 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.
Speed looking to sit in guard and control but Kuduro gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Kuduro missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuduro postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Kuduro stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Speed swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Speed keeping moving, preventing Kuduro from controlling successfully.
Speed preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Speed looking to control.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Speed throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Kuduro counters with an inside leg kick.
A decent looking cross lands there for Kuduro.
Speed attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Speed misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Kuduro.
Kuduro fails with a takedown attempt.
Kuduro throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
A chopping leg kick lands by Speed.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Speed tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Speed throws a leg kick
and Kuduro counters with a three punch combo that has Speed backing up. Speed nods at Kuduro to acknowledge the strikes.
Speed doesn't manage to clinch there - Kuduro circles away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Danza Kuduro dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Daniel Speed's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Speed plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Speed lands with a shot to the body.
A slow jab from Kuduro misses its intended target.
That kick from Kuduro tenderised Speed's leg. Speed is trying to keep his angry face on.
A looping hook to the body misses from Kuduro. Speed does a little dance to reset his feet.
Kuduro on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Speed misses the shot to the body.
Speed looks to clinch
and Kuduro makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Speed scores with a body shot.
Speed throws a sloppy body shot
and Kuduro counters with a thumping low kick.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Speed throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Kuduro thows a body shot but no joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Speed throws a looping overhand right but Kuduro ducks down to avoid it.
Kuduro scores with a body shot.
Speed takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Speed throws a shot from downtown. Kuduro moves away and avoids it.
Kuduro fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Speed is out of range.
Speed scores with a nice strike.
Danza Kuduro is winning the standup battle so far.
Kuduro throws a jab but it's blocked by Speed.
An inside leg kick lands from Kuduro.
A solid leg kick lands there for Kuduro.
Kuduro connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Speed's hands.
Kuduro lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kuduro fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Speed manages to avoid it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lazy body kick from Speed
and Kuduro connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
A looping hook to the body misses from Speed. Kuduro does a little dance to reset his feet.
Speed takes a swing at Kuduro's ribcage but misses.
Speed's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Kuduro checks the leg kick.
Speed misses the body punch
and Kuduro counters with a low kick, right behind Speed 's knee.
Kuduro throws a leg kick which misses Speed's front leg but catches the back leg as Speed tries to avoid it.
Kuduro lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Kuduro cracks Speed with a good jab.
Kuduro throws a nice inside leg kick.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Kuduro, right into the meat.
Kuduro throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Speed is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Kuduro rather than just go for the knockout.
Kuduro slips under a jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuduro lands with a thumping leg kick.
Nice uppercut lands for Kuduro. That snapped Speed's head back.
Speed sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Kuduro connects with a leg kick. Speed looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
A nice leg kick lands there from Kuduro.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Kuduro uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Speed.
Speed throws a head kick that misses.
Speed has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Kuduro.
Kuduro lands a right hook to the body.
Kuduro lands a glancing blow to the side of Speed's head.
Speed thows a body shot but no joy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Speed missing with a left hand there. Kuduro was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Kuduro throws a solid leg kick but Speed takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Kuduro.
Kuduro throws the kick towards the body but Speed avoids it.
Kuduro misses with a looping right.
Speed slips a straight right by Kuduro.
Nice cross by Speed.
Kuduro throws a shot from downtown. Speed moves away and avoids it.
Speed with a body punch. A glancing blow.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Speed throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Speed slips a jab from Kuduro.
Speed scores with a three punch combo!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Danza Kuduro clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Daniel Speed's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Kuduro throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Speed looks to clinch
and Kuduro makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Speed throws a series of punches but Kuduro moves out of range.
Speed scores with a jab to the jaw.
Kuduro fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Speed swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Speed lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Kuduro at a distance.
Speed chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Kuduro can pounce on him.
Kuduro throws a looping overhand right but Speed ducks down to avoid it.
Speed dodges the punch combination from Kuduro.
Kuduro wants to clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Speed staying out of range there.
Speed throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Speed fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Kuduro has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Decent striking displayed by Kuduro there.
Daniel Speed is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Speed throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Speed throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
A decent looking cross lands there for Speed.
Kuduro throws a low kick but it's checked well by Speed.
Speed moves out of range of the body kick from Kuduro.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Speed misses with a wild body shot.
Speed defending well as Kuduro loads up on a big left hand.
Speed connects with a body shot that sends Kuduro's belly button to the back.
Kuduro looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Kuduro pivots, looking for a leg kick but Speed is out of range and Kuduro settles back down.
Speed throws a body punch but Kuduro moves out of range.
Speed tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Kuduro was well out of range. Poor timing from Speed.
Kuduro feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Speed's calf.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kuduro looks to land a combination. Speed sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Speed throws a half hearted mid kick.
Speed throws the left hand but Kuduro avoids the punch easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Speed throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Speed lands a nice hook to Kuduro's body. Kuduro takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Speed lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Kuduro has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Kuduro and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Speed throws a body punch but Kuduro moves out of range.
Speed looks to land a right hand but Kuduro moved out of range.
Speed works Kuduro's body with a nice hook.
Speed lands a body shot.
Speed throws a right hand that Kuduro ducks under and follows up with a left that Kuduro also avoids with ease.
Kuduro misses with a low kick.
Kuduro throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Speed scores with a body shot.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
A big left from Kuduro misses.
Speed connects with a nice looking jab.
Speed misses with a left hand
and Kuduro counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Speed fakes the leg kick and cracks Kuduro in the body.
Speed misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Speed scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Speed wants to clinch up but Kuduro keeps it at a distance.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Speed feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Kuduro's calf.
Kuduro walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Kuduro takes a shot to the body in his stride.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Daniel Speed dominated that fourth round.
The cut man is working on Daniel Speed's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Speed throws a wild body kick that Kuduro sees coming a mile off.
Speed throws a poor cross that misses
and Kuduro counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Speed misses with a body kick.
Speed checks a low kick from Kuduro.

Kuduro closes the distance and clinches.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Speed.
Speed lands a left hand.
Kuduro tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Speed misses with a body punch.
Kuduro has Speed pushed against the cage.
Speed tries a body shot but Kuduro blocks it.
Speed tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Speed can't find room to land a body shot as Kuduro controls the action.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Speed blocking some punches.
Daniel Speed seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Speed tries a body shot but Kuduro blocks it.
Kuduro blocks a body shot from Speed.
Speed working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Speed misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Kuduro.
Kuduro tries to throw a body punch but Speed avoids it by throwing Kuduro back against the cage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Speed.
Kuduro dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Speed tries to throw a body punch but Kuduro avoids it by throwing Speed back against the cage.
Speed goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Kuduro tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Kuduro can't find room to land a body shot as Speed controls the action.
Speed lands an uppercut.
Kuduro manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kuduro tries to work over Speed's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Kuduro wants to stall.
Kuduro misses with a hook to the ribs.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Speed.
Kuduro makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kuduro swings wildly with an uppercut but Speed uses good head movement to avoid it.

Speed breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Speed takes a swing at Kuduro's ribcage but misses.
Speed does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Speed throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuduro circles away from the clinch attempt.
Kuduro uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Speed.
Kuduro swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Kuduro swats away the attempt to clinch by Speed.

Kuduro shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Speed manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Kuduro slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Kuduro accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Daniel Speed has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Speed keeping moving, preventing Kuduro from controlling successfully.
Kuduro is looking to work some ground and pound but Speed has wrist control.
Kuduro wants to control from the top but Speed keeps moving.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Danza Kuduro just wasn't active enough.
Speed blocks a jab.
Speed tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Kuduro was well out of range. Poor timing from Speed.

And that's the end of the fight!
Danza Kuduro showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Kuduro 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Phil Schofield scores the fight 48:47
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 49:47
Judge Colin Fotheringham scores the fight 49:47

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Danza Kuduro!
Danza Kuduro is the new light heavyweight champion!
A relieved looking Danza Kuduro thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.