PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Beta Knox (ranked 939 p4p, 115 weight class) and Rollo Gracie (ranked 1294 p4p, 158 weight class). Knox comes to the cage accompanied by Anthrax | Fight Em Till You Can't. Gracie has chosen Jiu Jitsu: Apaga Mas Não Bate as his entrance music. Rumors backstage are that the fighters have been paid to keep it standing but we know that would never happen in MMA!

Knox
vs
Gracie

172 cm
35
161 lbs
17 - 16 - 0

171 cm
44
156 lbs
20 - 7 - 2

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Basic striking
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 17 - 16 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Beta Knox!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 20 - 7 - 2, fighting out of Los Angeles, Rollo Gracie!
The judges for this bout are Gwen Towbar, Wesley Smith and Stewart Dunkirk.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gracie darts in trying to clinch
and Knox counters with a stiff right hand.

Gracie gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.

Gracie turns his hips and lands a very nice judo throw into side control!
Gracie taking a break here but Knox is having none of it and regains half guard.
Knox is looking for a sweep. Gracie is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Knox is working hard here to advance position.
Gracie content to control rather than advance.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Knox wants to improve his position but Gracie is controlling well.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knox keeping control of the leg, stopping his opponent passing to mount.
Knox wants to get back to full guard.
Knox's coaches at Five Round Fight Club NY (50 max) have been working on his defensive grappling in preparation for this fight so let's see if he can get out of this tricky position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Knox is controlling Gracie's position as best he can from this difficult position.
Gracie looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Knox slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Knox bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Gracie's guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Knox with a flurry of punches that miss.
Knox throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Knox stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Gracie swivels though and keeps the full guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Knox accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Knox trying to control but Gracie is working from the bottom.
Gracie controlling the position.
Knox passes Gracie's left leg - he's now in half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Knox looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Gracie with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Gracie has hold of Knox's hands but Knox slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Gracie is trying to control but can't.
Gracie blocking the ground and pound attempt from Knox.
Gracie is looking for a sweep. Knox is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Gracie taking some punishment here, with Knox in his half 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.
Gracie trying to control here.
Gracie wants to get back to full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Knox thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Gracie's head.
Gracie is trying to get back to full guard.
Gracie regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Knox.
Gracie working a defensive guard here.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Knox chips away with some ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Beta Knox dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Gracie looks to clinch
and Knox counters with a nice uppercut.
Knox lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Gracie tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Knox paws at him with a jab and circles away.
It looked like Knox was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Gracie.

Gracie closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Gracie lands in his opponent's guard.
Knox keeping full guard, as Gracie tries to pass.
Knox seems keen to control Gracie's posture.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Knox wants to control the position but Gracie says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.
Knox wants to get back to full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knox is concentrating on defense, preventing Gracie from advancing position.
Gracie slows the pace down in half guard.
Knox trying to control here.
Knox is trying is best to control the position here.
Knox makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Knox.
Knox looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Knox is pulling down on Gracie's head to control his posture.
Gracie wants to control from the top but Knox keeps moving.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Knox stuffs the takedown.
Knox swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.

Gracie dives in and scores a takedown into Knox's guard.
Gracie trying to control the position from guard on top but Knox is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Gracie is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Gracie trying to control the position from guard on top but Knox is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Knox is trying to control the position from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Knox tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Knox manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Gracie manages to get himself to full guard.

Gracie wants to control the position but Knox says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.
Gracie is looking for a sweep. Knox is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Knox tries to stand but can't do so whilst Gracie controls his leg.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gracie avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Knox.
Knox landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Gracie blocking the ground and pound attempt from Knox.
Gracie preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.
Gracie is looking for a sweep. Knox is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Knox is trying to control. Gracie wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Beta Knox dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Gracie moves into the clinch.
Knox lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Knox dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.

Knox manages to break the clinch.
Knox defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Gracie.
Knox throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Gracie misses with a takedown attempt
and Gracie takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Gracie walks into a left hand.
Gracie shoots and misses
and Knox counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Beta Knox has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Rollo Gracie.
Gracie doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Knox counters with a stiff right hand.
Knox circles away from the clinch attempt
and Knox counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie moves in looking to clinch but Knox pushes him off.
Gracie tries to clinch up
and Knox counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Gracie takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Gracie shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Gracie avoids a punch combination nicely.
Knox is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Gracie can do to turn this around?

Gracie has Knox up against the cage in a clinch.
Knox looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Knox lands a right hand that snaps the head of Gracie backwards.

Knox manages to break the clinch.
Gracie misses with a takedown attempt
and Knox counters with a straight right hand.

Gracie darts in and clinches Knox up against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Knox is trying to stall.
Knox gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Gracie.
Gracie is looking for a takedown.
Gracie changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Knox fights it off and pushes away nicely.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Gracie fails with the takedown
and Knox counters with a stiff right hand.
Knox digs a good body shot into Gracie's ribs.
Knox's corner calls for a 1-2. Knox obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Gracie tries for a takedown but Knox circles away easily
and Knox counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Gracie takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Gracie tries to clinch
and Knox counters with a right hand to the body.
Gracie wants to clinch.
A counter left hand to the body from Knox misses its target.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Knox tests Gracie's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Gracie takes a jab right on the kisser.
Gracie shoots and misses
and Knox counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.

Gracie is rocked!
Knox drops Gracie with a big left hand! Gracie is injured, injured bad! Knox jumps in and finished him with strikes! The fight is over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:38 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Beta Knox!
Beta Knox is the new lightweight champion!
Beta Knox thanked the fans post fight for their support.