PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Sam Gray (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jesse Mackenzie (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd giving both fighters a great reception on their way into the arena. That's good to see.

Gray
vs
Mackenzie

179 cm
22
179 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

188 cm
21
166 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid boxing
Big heart

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Determined

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Sam Gray!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Jesse Mackenzie!
The judges for this bout are David Schapiro, John Roberts and Alyssa Summers.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Mackenzie will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Gray on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
Gray misses with a takedown attempt

and Mackenzie counters with a single leg into guard. Gray didn't expect that.
Mackenzie working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Mackenzie stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Gray swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Gray is trying to control the position from the bottom.

Mackenzie gets to his feet. Gray looking to butt scoot but the ref puts an end to that. On your feet son!
Mackenzie fails to land the takedown.

Mackenzie scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Mackenzie passes to full mount!
Gray is looking to get to half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mackenzie lands a nice shot to the head.
Mackenzie is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Gray can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Gray is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Gray taking shots to the head.
Gray is bucking up trying to escape but Mackenzie cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Mackenzie throws some wild stikes that Gray manages to avoid easily.
Mackenzie is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Mackenzie throwing sloppy strikes, which aren't doing any damage.
Mackenzie postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Gray looks a forlorn figure.
Mackenzie looks gassed!
Gray is working to get back to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Mackenzie working for a submission but Gray is keeping him at bay.
Gray tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Gray knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Mackenzie on the ground.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Gray wants to hold on but Mackenzie pushes him away.
Poor strikes thrown by Mackenzie there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Gray is bucking up trying to escape but Mackenzie cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Gray manages to regain half guard. Good work.
Gray wants to improve his position but Mackenzie is controlling well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gray slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Mackenzie trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Mackenzie is looking to work some ground and pound but Gray has wrist control.
Gray preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Mackenzie postures up.
Mackenzie throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Gray looking to control.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Gray misses with a takedown

and Mackenzie counters with a single leg into guard. Gray didn't expect that.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mackenzie throws and elbow that misses. Gray uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Mackenzie's guard. Nice move by Gray!
Mackenzie wants to stand up but Gray is controlling him.
Mackenzie wants to sweep but no luck.
Gray wants to control from the top but Mackenzie keeps moving.
Mackenzie is striking from the bottom but Gray uses the opportunity to pass into half guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Mackenzie is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jesse Mackenzie dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Gray tries for a takedown but Mackenzie sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Gray fails in his attempt to clinch.
Sam Gray is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Mackenzie fails in his attempt to clinch.
Mackenzie shoots in for a takedown but Gray shows good takedown defense.
Gray has his takedown stuffed

and Mackenzie counters with a single leg into guard. Gray didn't expect that.
Gray working a defensive guard but Mackenzie manages to pass into side control anyway.
Gray tries to improve position but can't.
Mackenzie lands an elbow.
Mackenzie lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Jesse Mackenzie has got the better of the ground game so far.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Gray is trying to control Mackenzie's posture but Mackenzie avoids it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mackenzie misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Gray can't do much from the bottom here.
Gray is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Gray is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Mackenzie is controlling him well.
Mackenzie working the head and body with strikes.
Gray is trying to control Mackenzie's posture but Mackenzie avoids it.
Mackenzie working the head with strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Gray tries to close the distance and clinch but Mackenzie swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Horrible takedown by Mackenzie or perhaps it was just good defense by Gray which made him look bad.
Gray fails in his attempt to clinch.
Gray with a poor takedown

and Mackenzie counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Sam Gray. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Gray can't keep his opponent in guard - Mackenzie advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Gray is looking to control Mackenzie's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Gray avoid being mounted?
Mackenzie throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Gray taking some punishment here, with Mackenzie in his half guard.

Mackenzie is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gray is trying to maintain the position but Mackenzie is very close to passing his half guard.
Mackenzie throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Gray is trying to maintain the position but Mackenzie is very close to passing his half guard.
Gray tries to roll over but Mackenzie keeps him under control.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Gray is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Gray shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Mackenzie counters with a single leg into guard. Gray didn't expect that.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mackenzie looking to pass the guard.
Mackenzie missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Mackenzie accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Mackenzie wanted to stand there but Gray had control of the position.
Gray not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Mackenzie throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Gray works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Mackenzie has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Gray is trying to keep Mackenzie in close.
Gray wants to sweep but no luck.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jesse Mackenzie showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Mackenzie tries to clinch up.
Mackenzie tries to clinch there but Gray circles away.

Gray gets caught flat footed, as Mackenzie shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Gray utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Mackenzie postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Mackenzie stopping the sweep attempt from Gray.

Mackenzie stands up and waves to Gray to follow him.
Jesse Mackenzie seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Mackenzie takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Gray stuffs the takedown.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gray gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Mackenzie counters with a nice double leg into side control. Gray won't be happy with that.

Mackenzie is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Gray has escaped the position, nice work there.
You can see the frustration on Gray's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Mackenzie working the ground and pound but Gray is defending the strikes.
Mackenzie tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Gray is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.

Mackenzie working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mackenzie sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Gray is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Mackenzie throwing strikes but missing, from side control.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Gray shoots in and drives through. Mackenzie sprawls well.

Mackenzie fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Gray sprawls well initially but Mackenzie persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Gray is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Mackenzie moves into full mount! Gray won't be happy about that!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gray in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Mackenzie with some aggressive grappling here. He's looking for submissions here, rather than waiting for the opportunity to counter.
Gray is wriggling around trying to escape.

Mackenzie goes for an armbar but he's not got it… Gray turns into him and now he's in Mackenzie's guard.
Gray trying to control but Mackenzie is working from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Mackenzie looking for a sweep. Not yet Mackenzie, not yet.
Mackenzie keeping full guard, as Gray tries to pass.

Mackenzie is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Gray won't allow Mackenzie to sweep him here.
Sam Gray has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Jesse Mackenzie is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Mackenzie controlling Gray's posture.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jesse Mackenzie comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Mackenzie winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 David Schapiro scores the fight 27:30
Judge John Roberts scores the fight 27:30
Judge Alyssa Summers scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jesse Mackenzie!