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Play
by Play - Fighter's Fight Commentary
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Event:
Flair 10
Date: Nov 05, 2021 |
#R1#
Cruze lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Cruze is looking to clinch but Pain is avoiding it.
Pain appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Pain shoots and misses
and Cruze counters with a head kick. That will keep Pain thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks! #CL#
Pain has closed the distance and engaged Cruze in a clinch.
#TD#
Pain jumps into guard, dragging Cruze to the mat.
Pain controlling the position.#SUB#
Pain throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
#SUB#
Pain is looking for a triangle but Cruze pushes his legs off easily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cruze in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Pain pulls Cruze in close to prevent any damage.
Cruze looking to sit in guard and control but Pain gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top. #REVR##T1#
Pain is stalling in the full guard.
Pain working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Cruze's head.
Cruze can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Pain controls the pace.
Cruze really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Pain. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Pain seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Cruze for as long as he can get away with.#T2#
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Cruze is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.#SUB#
Pain thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Cruze throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.
Pain is pushing down on Cruze's leg trying to pass to half guard. Cruze is fighting to maintain full guard but Pain has managed to sneak the leg through.
Cruze has been taking part in the yoga sessions down at Desert Fitness & Training (14 Elite Coaches). Presumably he's going to look for a slick submission... Or maybe he's looking to avoid one.
Pain content to control rather than advance.
Pain continues to stall.#T3#
Pain working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Pain working the head and body with strikes.
Well, if Pain is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.#SUB2#
Cruze has guillotine here! It looks pretty tight! Could this be all over! No, Pain escapes and passes into side control at the same time. Nice work there by Pain!#T4#
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Cruze defending against the ground and pound.
Cruze is trying to control Pain's posture but Pain avoids it.
A lull in the action here as Pain stalls from top position.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Pain lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!#SUB#
Pain tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Pain scoring with punches from side control.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Major Pain dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!#R2##CL#
Pain takes the fight into the clinch.
Cruze is trying to pull guard but Pain turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Pain is trying to drag Cruze to the mat but Cruze just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.#TD#
Pain successfully pulls guard.
Cruze wants to control from the top but Pain keeps moving.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cruze throws an elbow that misses. Pain uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Cruze's guard. Nice move by Pain!#REVR#
Pain working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage. #T1#
Pain works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Pain passes the guard and advances to mount!
Pain unloading with bombs!
Pain looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.#SUB#
Pain working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.
Pain lands a big elbow.
Pain 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.
Pain lands with some strikes.
Pain content just to control the position here.
Cruze tries to hold on but Pain postures up.#T2#
Pain manages to capitalize on a mistake by Cruze to take his back!
Cruze trying to control but not successfully. #SUB#
Pain is working really hard to secure the rear naked choke. Cruze defends successfully for a significant amount of time. Both fighters are looking very determined. #SUB#
Cruze defends a rear naked choke attempt by controlling one of Pain's arms.
This has been an exciting period of action!
What can Cruze do to escape this position? He's going to have to figure it out pretty quick if he wants to stay in the fight!
#T3##SUB#
Pain is working really hard to secure the rear naked choke. Cruze defends successfully for a significant amount of time. Both fighters are looking very determined.
Pain not allowing Cruze to control his hands. #SUB#
Pain looking to break Cruze's wrist control so he can sink in the choke. Cruze remaining controlled and patient though - he really has to keep calm otherwise Pain will wrap this one up with the rear naked choke!#T4#
Pain keeps control of the position easily here as Cruze tries to buck him off.
#SUB#
Pain looking for the RNC.
Pain gets his hands free as Cruze looks to control.
Major Pain overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Pain keeps control of the position as Cruze tries to break free.
Cruze is trying to get back to his feet but Pain has full control of the position and if anything, Cruze has just worked his way into a worse spot.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.#SUB#
Cruze fending off the submission attempt from Pain.
Cruze is trying to get back to his feet but Pain has full control of the position and if anything, Cruze has just worked his way into a worse spot.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Major Pain dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!#R3#
Pain tries to clinch but Cruze is having none of it. #CL#
Pain moves into the clinch.
Pain is trying to break free.#TD#
Pain jumps into guard, dragging Cruze to the mat.
Cruze throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Pain trying to control the position here.
Cruze trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.#SUB#
Pain is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Cruze defends well.
Pain is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Cruze can do to turn this around?
Pain pulls Cruze in close to prevent any damage. #T1##ES#
Pain manages to wriggle out and sneak his way back up to his feet, so the fighters are now clinched up against the cage.
Pain tries to pull guard but Cruze won't allow it.
#TD#
Pain jumps into guard, dragging Cruze to the mat.
#SUB#
Pain had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Cruze defends it easily.
Cruze trying to stand up but can't free himself from Pain's guard.
Cruze missing there with some ground and pound from the guard. #T2#
Cruze wants to control from the top but Pain keeps moving.
Pain keeping full guard, as Cruze tries to pass. #SUB#
Pain is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Cruze defends well.
Pain lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.#REVR#
Cruze can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Pain controls the pace.
Cruze wants to get back to his feet but Pain is in a dominant position and won't allow it. #T3#
Pain is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Cruze working a defensive guard but Pain passes into half guard.
Cruze trying to hold on to Pain's head to control him but Pain postures up.
Cruze is looking for a sweep. Pain is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Nice strikes from Pain there. #T4#
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Pain with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Pain uses his free foot to push down on Cruze's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Cruze.
Pain scoring with strikes but Cruze is staying in there.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Pain landing strikes from the mount and Cruze is in trouble! #SUB#
Cruze is flailing around, obviously not happy about being mounted. Pain locks hold of one of his arms and spins for an armbar. He's got it! Cruze is forced to tap!
Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:58 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Major Pain!
Major Pain retains his light heavyweight title! |
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Event:
Flair 3
Date: Sep 25, 2021 |
#R1#
Cruze fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Ljubicic missing with a left hand there. Cruze was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Ljubicic throws a body punch but Cruze moves out of range.
Cruze displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Ljubicic throws out the jab.
Ljubicic is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Cruze.
Ljubicic takes a swing at Cruze's ribcage but misses. #CL#
Cruze fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Ljubicic, pushing him back against the cage.#BC#
Cruze breaks from the clinch.
A slow jab from Ljubicic misses its intended target.
Cruze is looking to counter the offense by Ljubicic and move into the clinch.
Ljubicic looks to land a right hand but Cruze moved out of range.
As Ljubicic looks to move away, Cruze throws a big counter combo but Ljubicic just gets out of the way.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.#CL#
Cruze closes the distance and clinches.
Cruze missing with knees to the body.
Cruze throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Ljubicic gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Cruze.
#T1#
Ljubicic taking a breather.
Cruze is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Ljubicic pulls him back up using the underhooks.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rick Cruze. That's going to take a lot out of him.#BC#
Cruze breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Ljubicic ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.#CL#
Cruze gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.#TD#
Cruze manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Ljubicic slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Cruze is trying to keep Ljubicic in close.
#T2#
Ljubicic controls from within his opponent's guard.
Cruze wants to hit a sweep here but Ljubicic passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Cruze there!
Cruze tries to hold on but Ljubicic postures up.
Ljubicic takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.#T3#
Cruze is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Cruze keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Ljubicic controlling the position easily from mount.
Cruze throwing hammer fists to the chest of Ljubicic. What's that going to do exactly?
Ljubicic takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Ljubicic looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.#T4#
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Cruze wants to control but Ljubicic is having none of it.
Cruze regains half guard.
Cruze trying to control from the bottom.
Cruze wants to get back to his feet.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Cruze works his way to full guard. Good work.
Cruze can't keep his opponent in guard - Ljubicic advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Milivoj Ljubicic dominated that round.
That's time! Cruze's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.#R2#
Cruze slips under a jab.
Cruze shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Ljubicic as he jumps to the side.
Cruze throws a right and a left that Ljubicic avoids nicely.
Ljubicic connects with a good right hand that stumbles Cruze. Cruze circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Cruze uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ljubicic.
Ljubicic misses the jab.
Ljubicic is really struggling to land any decent head shots against his taller opponent.
Cruze misses with a few strikes there.
Cruze keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Ljubicic.
Ljubicic ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Cruze moves away.
It looked like Cruze was looking amped, ready to throw a big counter but didn't commit.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cruze throws the kick towards the body but Ljubicic avoids it.
Cruze misses with an uppercut. #CL#
Cruze rushes Ljubicic and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.#TD#
Cruze manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Cruze is trying to keep Ljubicic in close.
#T1#
Ljubicic is stalling in the full guard.
Ljubicic postures up.
#SUB#
Cruze looking for submissions from the bottom but instead Ljubicic passes into side control.
Ljubicic working away.#T2#
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Ljubicic takes a little break here. Cruze wants to take advantage but he is being controlled well.
Cruze is looking for a sweep.
Cruze wants to control but Ljubicic postures up.
Cruze is in a bad position, trying to hold on for dear life but he is really struggling to maintain any sort of control.
Cruze is looking for a sweep.
Cruze trying to remain calm as Ljubicic controls from the top position.#REF3#
The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.#T3#
Ljubicic misses with a looping right.
Cruze displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Ljubicic throws out the jab.
Ljubicic misses with a hook
and Cruze counters with a two punch combo.
Cruze shoots in for a takedown but Ljubicic shows good takedown defense.
Ljubicic swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Cruze keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Cruze misses with a few strikes there.
Milivoj Ljubicic is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Ljubicic throws a shot from downtown. Cruze moves away and avoids it.
Ljubicic swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Cruze misses with a two punch combination.
Cruze shoots in for a takedown but Ljubicic shows good takedown defense.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rick Cruze. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ljubicic throws a lazy right hand but Cruze sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
It looked like Cruze was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Ljubicic.
Cruze fails with the takedown.
Ljubicic fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Cruze manages to avoid it.#T4#
Cruze fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Ljubicic lands a nice shot to the body.
Cruze fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Ljubicic looks like he wants to counter punch here.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Ljubicic works the jab nicely.#CL#
Cruze pushes Ljubicic up against the cage in a clinch.
Cruze lands a left hand.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Cruze tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
A close second round but Milivoj Ljubicic will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!#R3#
Ljubicic looks to land a left hand but Cruze moved out of range nicely.
The fighters circling - Ljubicic throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Cruze uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Ljubicic.
Cruze shoots in but no luck this time.
Cruze ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Milivoj Ljubicic seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.#CL#
Cruze clinches up with Ljubicic and pushes him back against the cage.
Cruze will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Ljubicic up against the cage.
Ljubicic is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Cruze is keeping busy.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ljubicic avoiding damage as Cruze throws knees to the body.
#T1#
Cruze has Ljubicic pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Ljubicic manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Ljubicic stalling.
Ljubicic wants to stall.
Cruze jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Ljubicic walks away with a smile on his face. Cruze gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rick Cruze. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ljubicic misses with a hook.
Rick Cruze is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Ljubicic misses with an uppercut. Cruze saw that one coming.
Ljubicic misses with a hook.
Ljubicic misses with an uppercut. Cruze saw that one coming.#TD#
Cruze shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Ljubicic is trying to defend but Cruze finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Ljubicic controlling the position for now.#T2#
Cruze wants to take a breather but Ljubicic is having none of it. #SU#
Cruze stands up from half guard... He's had enough of that ground malarky for the time being. #CL#
Cruze closes the distance and clinches.
Ljubicic trying to control the position but instead, Cruze has worked for underhooks and has pushed Ljubicic into the cage.
Ljubicic gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Cruze.
#T3#
Cruze lands an elbow just above Ljubicic 's eye. #CUT#It looks like Milivoj Ljubicic has been cut.
Cruze fails to pull guard.
Cruze fails to pull the fight into his guard.
#BC#
Cruze's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Cruze uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ljubicic.
A looping hook to the body misses from Ljubicic. Cruze does a little dance to reset his feet.#T4#
Ljubicic missing with a left hand there. Cruze was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Ljubicic swings for the body but Cruze moves out of range.
#CL#
Cruze rushes Ljubicic and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Cruze misses with a punch to the body.
Cruze misses with a body punch.
Cruze tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Ljubicic just stands there and leans against the cage.
Cruze missing with knees to the body.
Cruze tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Cruze jumps guard but Ljubicic stands there with Cruze around his waist. Cruze gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Rick Cruze has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Milivoj Ljubicic is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Ljubicic avoids the elbow strike from Cruze, against the cage.
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 Rick Cruze.
I think Ljubicic 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 Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 27:30
Judge Chris Downing scores the fight 28:29
Judge George Francis scores the fight 28:29
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Milivoj Ljubicic! |
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