PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Markus Raffo (ranked 5047 p4p, 512 weight class) and Island King (ranked 3684 p4p, 423 weight class). Island King has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Raffo
vs
King

171 cm
18
175 lbs
1 - 0 - 1

179 cm
25
179 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Granite chin

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 1 - 0 - 1, fighting out of The Island, Markus Raffo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Island King!
The judges for this bout are Winston Alpacca, Michael Johnstone and Peter Branson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
King cracks Raffo with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
King jabs Raffo right on the nose. Raffo blinks but takes it well.
King scores with a nice right hand.
King scores with the left hand. Raffo knows he should have avoided that one.
Raffo throws an uppercut from half a mile away. King sees it coming and avoids it easily.

Raffo manages to get an easy takedown there - catching King on his heels. He'll look to pass King's guard now, I'm sure.
Raffo slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Raffo has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Raffo tries to free his leg and advance position but King is retaining full guard.
Raffo controlling from the top position.
Raffo seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down King for as long as he can get away with.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Raffo definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
King lands a head shot.
King lands with an overhand left.

Raffo shoots in and gets a takedown into King's guard.
Raffo content to stall in guard here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Raffo with a flurry of punches that miss.
King seems keen to control Raffo's posture.
Raffo stands and throws King's legs to the side, diving into side control.
King tries to buck Raffo off but Raffo is having none of it.
Raffo content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.

Raffo tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Raffo has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Raffo working away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Island King will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Jab by King.
Raffo jabbing away but nothing is landing.
King uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Raffo.
Raffo throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and King counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
King ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Markus Raffo seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
King fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
King slips under a jab.
Raffo is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by King.
King swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Raffo.
King lands with an overhand left.
The fighters circle momentarily. King darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Raffo looks to land a right hand but King moved out of range.
Raffo takes a shot right to the bread basket.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Raffo throws a jab but it's blocked by King.
Raffo throws a hook but King avoids it easily.
Raffo swings and misses with a shot to the body
and King connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

Raffo looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for King!
King is looking for a sweep.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
Raffo connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused King some visible discomfort.

Raffo tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Raffo has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Raffo controlling the position from side mount.
Raffo continues to stall.
Raffo creates some space and throws a big elbow, but King sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
King is trying to control Raffo's posture but Raffo avoids it.
Raffo is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
King tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Raffo throws an elbow but King slips to the side and avoids it well.
King is trying to escape the position but Raffo is controlling the position.
Markus Raffo overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Raffo's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Island King will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

King lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Nice defenses there by King.
King throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Raffo stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Raffo throws a lazy uppercut
enabling King to counter with a crisp jab.
Raffo misses with a hook
and King makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
King misses with a wild combination.
King staying out of range there.
King scores with a body shot.
Raffo throws a big shot that misses.
A clash of legs there as King blocks the low kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
King bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
King lands with a hook. Raffo tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Raffo misses the jab.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Decent striking displayed by King there.
Raffo throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
King uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Raffo has time to react.

That's one minute gone in the round.
King thuds his right hand into Raffo's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
King keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Raffo rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and King counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Raffo shoots in and drives through. King sprawls well.
King lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Raffo throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.

Raffo shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Raffo is controlling the pace.
King is trying to control but can't.
Raffo missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
King trying to control but Raffo postures up.
King landing strikes from the bottom.
Raffo is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Raffo thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed King's head.
Markus Raffo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Island King is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Raffo working the head and body with strikes.

And that's the end of the fight!
Island King comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got King 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 Winston Alpacca scores the fight for Island King!
Judge Michael Johnstone scores the fight for Island King!
Judge Peter Branson scores the fight for Island King!

Island King wins by unanimous decision!
A relieved looking Island King thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.