PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Franklin Diggins (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Koopa Troopa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Diggins comes to the cage accompanied by Bonfire. Troopa has chosen Koopa Troopa as his entrance music. Man, I cannot wait for this one!

Diggins
vs
Troopa

198 cm
28
193 lbs
9 - 13 - 0

180 cm
34
195 lbs
15 - 10 - 1

Good wrestling
Excellent MT
Very quick

Good wrestler
Good kicks
Good gas tank

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 9 - 13 - 0, fighting out of New York, Franklin Diggins!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 10 - 1, fighting out of Hilo, Koopa Troopa!
The judges for this bout are John Roberts, Chad Campbell and Steve Montenegro.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Troopa scores with a jab to the jaw.
A head kick from Diggins lands but Troopa takes it in his stride.
Troopa swinging wildly here.
Diggins connects with a crisp jab.
Troopa throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Diggins connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Nice defenses there by Diggins.
Troopa throws out a leg kick but Diggins moves out of range and Troopa only half commits.
Troopa throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Diggins.
Diggins tries to clinch up.
Troopa swings for the body but Diggins moves out of range.
Troopa avoids the head kick by Diggins.
Troopa throws a body kick that misses.
Diggins is looking to clinch but Troopa is avoiding it.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Diggins ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Troopa has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.

Troopa throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Diggins tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Troopa is in Diggins's guard.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

Troopa drops back looking for a leg! Diggins is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Diggins manages to kick Troopa off! Troopa jumps back into Diggins's guard.
Diggins controls Troopa momentarily but Troopa frees himself.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Diggins is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Troopa postures up.
Troopa wants to pass the guard but Diggins is keeping the position.
Diggins controlling the position.

We're going to have a standup here because Franklin Diggins wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Troopa tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Nice body punch from Troopa.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Troopa.
Troopa lands a right hook to the body.
Diggins really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Diggins shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Troopa fakes the leg kick and cracks Diggins in the body.
Good leg kick by Troopa there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Troopa misses with a body shot
and Diggins counters with an outside leg kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Troopa scores with a jab to the body.
Troopa looks to throw the jab but Diggins is out of range.
A nice inside leg kick there by Troopa. That's going to slow Diggins down.
Diggins misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Troopa misses with an uppercut. Diggins saw that one coming.
Troopa tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Diggins defends well and Troopa ends up having to push Diggins into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.

Diggins's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Diggins walks into a jab.
Troopa fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Diggins fails in his attempt to clinch.
Koopa Troopa seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Diggins tries to clinch but Troopa moves out of range.

Diggins darts in and clinches Troopa up against the cage.
Diggins will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Troopa up against the cage.
Diggins throws a knee to the head but misses.
Troopa lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Diggins or not.
Diggins looking to throw knees to the head but Troopa is blocking nicely.
Troopa is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Troopa misses with a hook to the ribs.
Diggins scores with a knee to the head.
Diggins takes a shot to the head.
Diggins is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Troopa is keeping busy.
Diggins misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Troopa.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Troopa doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Diggins throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Troopa is trying to break the clinch but Diggins is controlling him.
A head punch on the inside from Troopa fails to land.
Diggins throws an elbow but it misses.
Troopa is looking for a takedown.
Franklin Diggins has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Koopa Troopa.
Diggins tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Diggins throws a knee to the head but misses.
Troopa misses with a punch on the inside.
Troopa wants a takedown but no success here.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Diggins blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Troopa fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Troopa digs a right hand into Diggins's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Diggins's gas tank.
A nice left hand lands by Troopa.
Diggins lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Koopa Troopa dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

A big right from Troopa misses.
Koopa Troopa seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Good leg kick by Troopa there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Troopa shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Diggins defends it nicely.
Diggins tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Troopa paws at him with a jab and circles away.
An inside leg kick from Troopa misses.
Troopa misses with a head kick.
Diggins loads up on a big right hand but Troopa slips the punch.
Troopa keeps the fight on the outside.
Troopa misses with a body kick.
Troopa misses with a wild body shot.
Diggins throws a head kick but Troopa moves out of range.
Troopa connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Troopa throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Troopa throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Troopa throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Diggins.
Troopa avoids the head kick by Diggins.
Troopa pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Troopa fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Diggins manages to avoid it.
A chopping leg kick lands by Troopa.
Troopa throws a looping overhand right but Diggins ducks down to avoid it.
Troopa throws a head kick but Diggins moves out of range.
Troopa cracks Diggins with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Troopa throws a lazy right hand but Diggins sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Diggins pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Troopa connects with a right hand. Diggins shakes it off.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Troopa misses with a wild body shot.
Diggins misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Diggins wants to clinch up but Troopa keeps it at a distance.
Diggins is looking to clinch.
Troopa circles away from the clinch attempt.
Diggins throws a head kick that half lands.
Troopa tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Diggins is able to avoid easily.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Diggins looks to clinch
and Troopa counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Diggins pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Troopa darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Troopa throws a leg kick but Diggins checks it.
Troopa misses with a leg kick.
Diggins throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Troopa walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Diggins checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Troopa throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Troopa scores with a jab to the jaw.
Troopa avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Troopa tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A shot to the liver by Troopa. Beautiful body shot.

Troopa drives through with a takedown into Diggins's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Diggins controls Troopa momentarily but Troopa frees himself.

Troopa is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Diggins keeping moving, preventing Troopa from controlling successfully.
Troopa scoring with some ground and pound.
Diggins looking to control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Diggins wants to sweep but no luck.
Troopa postures up.
Troopa scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Troopa works over Diggins with some ground and pound from guard.
Diggins manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Troopa manages to get himself to full guard.
Diggins sitting in guard here, content to control.
Diggins wants to control from the top but Troopa keeps moving.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Troopa working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Diggins doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Diggins manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Diggins showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Koopa Troopa showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Troopa dives in for a single leg takedown but Diggins sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Troopa takes a knee right on the jaw!
Troopa avoiding damage as Diggins throws knees to the body.

Troopa manages to break the clinch.
A jab lands there for Troopa.
Diggins throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Troopa.
Troopa tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Troopa tests Diggins's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Diggins uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Troopa.
Troopa chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Troopa keeps the fight on the outside.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Diggins drives through and clinches with Troopa against the cage.
Diggins is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Troopa is keeping busy.
Diggins prevents the takedown attempt.
Diggins lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Troopa letting Diggins take a breather here.
Diggins is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Troopa is defending well for now.
Troopa is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Diggins pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Franklin Diggins has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Koopa Troopa.
Diggins is trying to maintain a safe position but Troopa gets an underhook and turns Diggins into the cage.
Troopa swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Troopa takes a knee right on the jaw!

It looks like Koopa Troopa has been cut.
Diggins has Troopa pressed against the cage, preventing Troopa from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Troopa turns his back and goes for a hip toss. It's a bit messy but it gets the job done and Troopa manages to end up in side control.
Diggins is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Diggins is working hard here to advance position.
Koopa Troopa has got the better of the ground game so far.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Troopa wants to control but Diggins is keeping him busy.
Diggins can't do much from the bottom here.
Troopa is putting a hurting on Diggins here, landing some big shots from side control.
Troopa tries to advance to mount but Diggins denies him.
Diggins is trying to control Troopa's posture but Troopa avoids it.
Troopa throwing strikes but missing, from side control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Troopa working away.
Troopa lands an elbow.
Diggins manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Diggins is looking to take a break and control but Troopa is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Franklin Diggins has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Troopa has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Diggins trying to mount his opponent but Troopa defends it.
Diggins is keen to just control but Troopa is a slippery customer.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Diggins not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Troopa gets back to full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Diggins wants to control from the top but Troopa keeps moving.

Troopa throws his legs up looking to secure a triangle. Oh, that looks pretty tight, I gotta say! Diggins escapes and throws Troopa's legs to the side, diving into side control!
Diggins tries to advance to mount but Troopa denies him.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Troopa can't do much from the bottom here.
Troopa gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Franklin Diggins.
I think Troopa 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 John Roberts scores the fight 28:29
Judge Chad Campbell scores the fight 28:29
Judge Steve Montenegro scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Koopa Troopa!
During a confident post fight interview, Koopa Troopa thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.