PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Jim Rogers (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Llueve Baxter (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). 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.

Rogers
vs
Baxter

188 cm
23
160 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

171 cm
21
168 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin

[GTi] Divine - Drugs (Q:158+ $100)

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 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Jim Rogers!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Llueve Baxter!
The judges for this bout are Gwen Towbar, Daniel Franklin and Robert Twigg.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Baxter avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Rogers takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
A looping hook to the body misses from Baxter. Rogers does a little dance to reset his feet.
Baxter swings widly with a right hand

and Rogers counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Baxter is trying to break the clinch but Rogers is controlling him.
Rogers lands a hook to the side of the head.
Baxter has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Rogers misses with a hook from the clinch.
Baxter looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Baxter is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Rogers is defending well for now.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rogers has Baxter pressed against the cage, preventing Baxter from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Rogers really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Nice body punch from Rogers.
Baxter tries to break free but Rogers pushes him back against the cage.
Rogers taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Baxter using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Rogers has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Baxter is trying to force a seperation but Rogers has the dominant position.
Rogers lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Rogers pushes Baxter back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Baxter wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Rogers has him pressed against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rogers lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Rogers lands a body shot.
Rogers stalling against the cage.
Baxter has had enough of the clinch but Rogers keeps him there for the moment.
Baxter tries a body shot but Rogers blocks it.
Rogers is working Baxter over against the cage.
Rogers lands a body shot in the clinch.
Baxter looks gassed!

Rogers pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Baxter misses with a shot to the body
and Rogers counters with a one-two to the body.
Baxter misses with a body punch

and Rogers counters by clinching up.
Baxter tries to stall but Rogers uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
A frustrated look appears on Baxter's face as he tries to break the clinch.

Rogers manages to break the clinch.
Rogers misses with a shot to the body
and Baxter counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Baxter avoids the body shot from Rogers.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Baxter tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Rogers was well out of range. Poor timing from Baxter.
Baxter is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Rogers.
Rogers wants to clinch up but Baxter keeps it at a distance.
Baxter swats away the attempt to clinch by Rogers.
Rogers is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Baxter circles away from the clinch attempt.
Rogers throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Baxter fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Rogers manages to avoid it.
Baxter circles away from the clinch attempt
and Baxter counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.

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.
Baxter misses the body punch
and Rogers counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Rogers throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Baxter counters with a straight right hand.
Baxter swings widly with a right hand
and Rogers counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Baxter misses with an uppercut

and Rogers counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Rogers.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Rogers.
Baxter has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Baxter blocks an uppercut.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Rogers as Baxter tries to tie him up.

Rogers breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Baxter slips a jab and a cross from Rogers.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jim Rogers dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Rogers avoids the body shot from Baxter.
Rogers is looking to clinch.
Rogers slips under a jab.
Baxter throws a lazy right hand but Rogers sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Rogers wants to clinch
and Baxter counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Jim Rogers is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Baxter throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Rogers counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Baxter thinking.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rogers wants to clinch.
Baxter misses with a right hand
enabling Rogers to counter with a crisp jab.
Rogers tries to close the distance and clinch up but Baxter swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Baxter misses with a right hand
letting Rogers counter with a right hand.
Baxter misses with a looping left.
Baxter misses with a body shot
enabling Rogers to counter with a crisp jab.
Rogers tries to clinch
and Baxter makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rogers keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Baxter misses with a body shot.
Baxter uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Rogers.
Rogers scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Baxter misses the body punch
and Rogers counters with a three punch combo that has Baxter backing up. Baxter nods at Rogers to acknowledge the strikes.
Rogers takes a jab right on the kisser.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Baxter misses with a body shot

and Rogers counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Rogers.
Baxter's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Rogers works on Baxter's body with a couple of short punches.
Baxter is trying to break the clinch but Rogers is controlling him.

Rogers breaks from the clinch.
Rogers moves to clinch but Baxter breaks away
and Baxter counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Rogers thinking.
Baxter swings for the body but Rogers moves out of range.
Baxter throws the left hand but Rogers avoids the punch easily.

That's four 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.
Rogers tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Baxter manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Baxter misses with a jab to the body

and Rogers counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Rogers.
Rogers throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Baxter has had enough of the clinch but Rogers keeps him there for the moment.
Rogers 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.
Baxter letting Rogers take a breather here.

Rogers breaks the clinch.
Baxter misses with a body punch
and Rogers counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Baxter misses with a hook
and Rogers counters with a left to the body.
Baxter throws a body punch but Rogers moves out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jim Rogers dominated that second round.
That's time! Rogers's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Baxter throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Rogers looks to score with a jab to the body but Baxter is just out of range.
Baxter looks to score with a jab to the body but Rogers is just out of range.
Baxter misses with a jab to the body
and Rogers counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Baxter rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Rogers counters by clinching up.
Rogers lands a shoulder strike.
Rogers is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Rogers manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Rogers digs a right hand underneath Baxter's ribcage. Baxter let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Baxter wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Rogers manages to break the clinch.
Both fighters are looking to counter, which isn't making for the most exciting fight in the world.
Rogers rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Baxter counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Baxter misses the body punch
and Rogers counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Rogers tries to clinch but Baxter moves away
and Baxter counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Rogers moves in looking to clinch but Baxter pushes him off.
Rogers is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Baxter fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Llueve Baxter has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Baxter circles away from the clinch attempt
and Baxter counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Rogers steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Baxter.
Rogers is looking to wear down Baxter with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Baxter misses with a hook

and Rogers counters by moving into the clinch.
Rogers throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Baxters head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Baxter has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Baxter can't break the clinch.
A short right from Rogers on the inside.
Rogers leaning against his opponent.

Rogers breaks from the clinch.
Baxter misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Rogers counters with a nice body shot.
Jim Rogers is winning the standup battle so far.
Rogers takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Rogers tries to clinch up.
Rogers displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Baxter throws out the jab.
Baxter rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Rogers counters with a straight right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rogers darts in trying to clinch
and Baxter counters with a right hand to the body.
Rogers throws a lazy right hand but Baxter sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Jim Rogers is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Rogers misses with a two punch combination.
Baxter with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Rogers to score with a decent uppercut.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jim Rogers showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Rogers has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Gwen Towbar scores the fight 30:27
Judge Daniel Franklin scores the fight 30:27
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jim Rogers!