PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Tony Croix (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Stu Mercer (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Mercer is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Trapt-Still Frame. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Croix
vs
Mercer

180 cm
27
180 lbs
8 - 6 - 0

177 cm
26
177 lbs
4 - 3 - 0

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Decent wrestler
Excellent MT
Determined

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 8 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Tony Croix!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Stu Mercer!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Johanna Lukiainen and Matti Vanhoillinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Mercer drives through and clinches with Croix against the cage.
Mercer looking to throw knees to the head but Croix is blocking nicely.
Croix is looking to break free of the clinch but Mercer has double underhooks.
Mercer lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

It looks like Tony Croix has been cut.
Croix wants to break free but Mercer has control.
Mercer looking to throw knees to the head but Croix is blocking nicely.
Mercer looking to throw knees to the head but Croix is blocking nicely.
Croix has had enough of the clinch but Mercer keeps him there for the moment.
Croix wants to break the clinch but can't.
Mercer throws a knee to the head but misses.
Croix wants to get back to striking at distance but Mercer won't allow it.
Mercer tries to land a knee to the head but Croix blocks with his arms.
Mercer controlling the action here for a moment.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mercer tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Mercer lands a damaging elbow.
Mercer content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Mercer with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Mercer using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Croix has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Croix takes a knee right on the jaw!
Mercer is trying to maintain a safe position but Croix gets an underhook and turns Mercer into the cage.
Croix wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Croix takes an elbow to the temple.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mercer has Croix pressed against the cage, preventing Croix from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Mercer misses with a knee to the head.
Mercer manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Croix takes an elbow to the temple.
Croix is trying to push Mercer away but Mercer has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Croix blocks an elbow strike from Mercer.
Mercer has Croix pushed against the cage.
Mercer lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Croix tries to break the clinch but Mercer is controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mercer tries to land a knee to the head but Croix blocks with his arms.
Mercer keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Croix's efforts to push away.
Mercer tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Mercer lands an elbow inside.
Croix on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Croix wants to break the clinch but can't.
Mercer misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Croix.
Mercer misses with an elbow over the top.
Mercer looking to stall.
Croix working hard to break the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mercer throws a knee to the head but misses.
Mercer manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Mercer tries a knee to the head but Croix blocks it.
Mercer misses with a knee to the head.
Mercer throws an elbow but it's blocked.
The referee is keeping an eye on Mercer - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Mercer throws a knee to the head but misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Stu Mercer dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Tony Croix's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Mercer tries to clinch up.
Nice straight punches there by Croix. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Croix.
Croix scores with a jab.
Mercer is looking to clinch but Croix is avoiding it.
Mercer lands a head kick. Croix smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Croix lands a nice shot that snaps Mercer's head back.

Mercer moves into the clinch.
Mercer throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Croix blocks it with crossed arms.
Stu Mercer seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Croix is trying to break the clinch but Mercer has him pressed against the cage.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Mercer misses with a knee to the head.
Mercer scores with a knee to the head.
Mercer effectively controlling the action here.
Croix is trying to break free.
Croix blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mercer tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Mercer looking to stall.
Mercer stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Croix wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Mercer pressing his opponent against the cage.
Mercer with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Croix is trying to break free.
Mercer tries a knee to the head but he's missed.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mercer misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Croix.
Mercer lands a knee to the head.
Croix takes an elbow to the forehead.
Mercer lands an elbow that stopped Croix in his tracks for a moment.
Mercer tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Croix tries to break the clinch but Mercer is controlling the position.
Mercer tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Mercer using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Croix has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Mercer with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Croix tries to circle away but Mercer has him pinned against the cage.
Mercer looking to throw knees to the head but Croix is blocking nicely.
Mercer lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mercer misses with a knee strike.
Croix is trying to break the clinch but Mercer is controlling him.
Croix blocks the elbow strike.
A frustrated look appears on Croix's face as he tries to break the clinch.
With the fighters up against the cage, Mercer throws an elbow but misses.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Mercer missing with knees to the body.
Mercer pressing his opponent against the cage.
Mercer unloads a knee to the mid-section. Croix lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Mercer with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Croix is trying to push Mercer away but Mercer has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mercer with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Mercer looking to throw knees to the head but Croix is blocking nicely.
Mercer misses with a knee to the head.
Mercer stalls.
Mercer misses with a knee to the head.
Mercer misses with a knee strike.
Mercer throws a knee to the head but misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Mercer pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Croix tries to break free but Mercer pushes him back against the cage.

Croix breaks from the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Stu Mercer showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Tony Croix's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! 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.

Croix swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Mercer drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Mercer throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Croix's head.
Croix fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Mercer cracks the inside of Croix's front leg.
Good exchange - Croix coming out on top.
Nice uppercut there from Croix.
Mercer fails with an attempt to clinch.
Tony Croix is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Mercer tries to close the distance and clinch but Croix swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Mercer doesn't manage to clinch there - Croix circles away.
A solid leg kick lands there for Mercer.
Croix feints a jab promting Mercer to slip. Croix then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Mercer slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Mercer wants to land a leg kick but Croix is out of range.
Croix connects with a crisp jab.
Mercer goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Mercer tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Croix checks a leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.

A jab-cross combination lands for Croix and sends Mercer crashing to the mat! Croix follows him down to the mat - Mercer regains half guard but he's not out of trouble yet!

Mercer is rocked!
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

Croix stands up and beckons Mercer to join him on the feet.
Mercer is still on wobbly legs! Can Croix finish him?
A big right followed by a crushing left from Croix knocks Mercer out cold! Ouch - that one's going to be featured in highlight reels for years to come!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:15 of round 3, we have a winner by way of KO (Punches). Tony Croix!