PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Erik Drake (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Raymond Hood (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Hood's choice of entrance music: Carlos - The Silmarillia. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Drake
vs
Hood

170 cm
26
159 lbs
6 - 5 - 0

172 cm
26
162 lbs
9 - 6 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Erik Drake!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Raymond Hood!
The judges for this bout are Paul Aken, Paulsen Ambrosius and Wagner Zegers.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hood pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Hood tries to clinch up against the ropes, rushing in the close the distance. Drake manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Drake misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
A slapping body kick lands there for Hood.
Hood tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Drake counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Hood is looking to clinch but Drake is avoiding it.
Drake keeps the fight on the outside.
Drake circles away from the clinch attempt
and Drake cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Hood tries to clinch up
and Drake counters with a straight right hand.
Hood throws a half hearted mid kick.
Drake rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Hood moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
A thudding body kick lands there by Hood!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Hood.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Hood.
Hood darts in trying to clinch
and Drake counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Hood tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Drake counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Hood wants to clinch
and Drake counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Hood thinking.
Hood tries to close the distance and clinch but Drake swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Hood closes the distance but Drake moves to the side
and Drake counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Drake avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

Hood rushes Drake and presses him up against the ropes.
Drake blocks an elbow strike from Hood.
Hood has Drake pressed against the ropes, preventing Drake from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
With the two fighters working up against the ropes, Hood just misses with a elbow thrown towards Drake's brow.
Hood pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the ropes.
Drake wants to break the clinch but can't.
A knee to the head by Hood.
Hood lands an elbow inside that Drake shrugs off.
Drake working hard to break the clinch.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Hood missing with knees to the body.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Hood.

It looks like Erik Drake has been cut.
Hood stalling in the clinch but Drake improves position.
Hood creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Hood tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Hood throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Drake blocks it with crossed arms.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hood creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Drake takes an elbow to the forehead.
Hood lands a good knee to the midsection. Drake won't want to take too many of those.
Drake avoids a wild elbow strike from Hood.
Knees to the body from Hood.
Hood tries to land a knee to the head but Drake blocks with his arms.
Drake blocks an elbow strike from Hood.
Hood lands a left hand.
Hood effectively controlling the action here.
Hood is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Drake is defending well for now.
Hood is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Drake is defending well for now.
Hood has Drake pressed against the ropes, preventing Drake from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Knees to the body from Hood.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Hood.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Drake avoids the elbow strike from Hood, against the ropes.
Hood tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Hood throws a knee to the head but misses.
Hood misses with an elbow over the top.
Hood lands an elbow just above Drake 's eye.
Drake wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Drake is trying to break the clinch but Hood has him pressed against the ropes.
Drake blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Hood using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Drake takes an elbow to the temple.
Hood throws a knee to the head but misses.
Drake blocks an elbow strike.
Hood creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Drake's defenses.
Drake tries to circle away but Hood has him pinned against the ropes.
Drake working hard to break the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Raymond Hood dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Erik Drake's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the ring so we can get back down to business.

Hood tries to clinch up
and Drake counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Drake has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Drake misses with a two punch combination.
Drake tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Hood was well out of range. Poor timing from Drake.
Hood tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Drake cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Hood connects with a solid leg kick.
Hood misses with a body kick.
Drake comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Erik Drake is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Hood tries to clinch up
enabling Drake to counter with a crisp jab.
Hood throws a head kick that misses.
Drake misses with the combination.
Hood slips a jab and a cross from Drake.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hood tries to close the distance and clinch but Drake swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Hood scores with a kick to the body.
Hood tries to clinch up
and Drake counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Hood darts in trying to clinch
and Drake counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Hood takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Hood closes the distance looking to clinch
and Drake counters with a left and a right that stings Hood.
Hood closes the distance but Drake moves to the side
and Drake counters with a nice uppercut.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hood tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Drake counters with a stiff right hand.
Hood slips a jab and a cross from Drake.
Drake lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Hood circles away quickly and effectively.
Hood darts in trying to clinch
and Hood takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Hood looks to clinch
and Drake counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Hood looks to clinch
and Drake counters with a two punch combo.

Hood gets a clinch.
Hood lands an elbow that stopped Drake in his tracks for a moment.
Hood with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Drake takes a knee right on the jaw!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hood dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the ropes.
Drake is looking to break free of the clinch but Hood has double underhooks.
Hood pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the ropes.
Hood landing knees to the body.
Drake managing to block the knees to the body from Hood.
Hood tries to land knees in the clinch but Drake avoids the damage to the body.
Hood lands a nice elbow.
Hood throws a knee to the head but misses.
Hood creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Hood unloads a knee to the mid-section. Drake lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hood throws a knee to the head but misses.
Hood connects with a nasty looking knee right to Drake's face.
Drake dodges an elbow strike from Hood.
Drake wants to break free but Hood has control.
Drake is trying to break the clinch but Hood has him pressed against the ropes.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Hood tries to land a knee to the head but misses.

Drake escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Hood clinches up with Drake and pushes him back against the ropes.
Hood unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Drake working hard to break the clinch.
Hood lands a nice elbow.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Hood.
Hood lands a knee to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Erik Drake will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Erik Drake's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Drake looks to score with a jab to the body but Hood is just out of range.
Drake takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Drake will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Hood darts in trying to clinch
and Drake counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Hood dodges the punch combination from Drake.
A head kick misses from Hood.
Hood looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Hood closes the distance and clinches.
Hood with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Hood misses with a knee to the head.
Hood is struggling to control the position.
Hood pushes off an throws an elbow but Drake leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the ropes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hood tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Drake avoids it.
With the two fighters working up against the ropes, Hood just misses with a elbow thrown towards Drake's brow.
Hood trying to stall but Drake improves his position.
Drake wants to break free but Hood has control.
Hood throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Hood holding his opponent close, against the ropes.
Hood tries to stall but Drake uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Hood lands an elbow inside.
Hood tries to land knees in the clinch but Drake avoids the damage to the body.
Drake is looking to break free of the clinch but Hood has double underhooks.
Hood trying to stall but Drake improves his position.
Hood unloads a knee to the mid-section.

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.
Hood misses with a knee strike.
Drake blocks an elbow strike from Hood.
Hood gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Hood creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Drake dodges an elbow strike from Hood.
Drake blocks the elbow strike.
Hood lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Hood throws an elbow but it misses.
Drake is looking to break free of the clinch but Hood has double underhooks.
Drake wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Drake takes an elbow to the temple.
Drake avoids a wild elbow strike from Hood.
Hood looking to stall.
Hood lands a nice elbow from the clinch.

Erik Drake's cut is getting worse.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A frustrated look appears on Drake's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Drake blocks an elbow strike from Hood.
Hood looks to throw an elbow but misses.
With the two fighters working up against the ropes, Hood just misses with a elbow thrown towards Drake's brow.
With the two fighters working up against the ropes, Hood just misses with a elbow thrown towards Drake's brow.
Hood missing with knees to the body.
Hood throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Drake avoids a wild elbow strike from Hood.
Hood throws an elbow but it misses.
Hood lands an elbow just above Drake 's eye.
Drake tries to break the clinch but Hood is controlling the position.
A battle for position here, against the ropes.
Drake dodges an elbow strike from Hood.

That's four 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.
Drake avoiding damage as Hood throws knees to the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for Hood.
Hood missing with knees to the body.
Hood misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Drake.
Hood trying to land knees to the body.
Nice elbow from Hood.
Hood lands a knee to the head.
Hood prevents Drake from breaking the clinch.
Drake avoids the elbow strike from Hood, against the ropes.
Hood looking to slow down the pace here.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Hood creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Hood throws an elbow but it misses.

And that's the end of the fight!
Raymond Hood comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Hood 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 Paul Aken scores the fight 28:29
Judge Paulsen Ambrosius scores the fight 28:29
Judge Wagner Zegers scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Raymond Hood!