PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Dan Henderson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Felix Merquez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Merquez has chosen Mind Da Gap feat. Valete - Não Pára as his entrance music. Felix Merquez acknowledges the crowd's support as he enters the cage.

Henderson
vs
Merquez

184 cm
29
190 lbs
10 - 6 - 0

177 cm
22
193 lbs
6 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter striker
Granite chin

Valhalla Q160 Nutrition
KAISER

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the middleweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Dan Henderson!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Felix Merquez!
The judges for this bout are , Don Winkell and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Henderson scores with a nice strike.

It looks like Felix Merquez has been cut.
Henderson misses with a wild body shot.
Henderson misses with a series of wild punches.
Merquez jabs Henderson to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Merquez throws an ugly left hook that misses
enabling Henderson to counter with a crisp jab.
Merquez throws a jab when Henderson was well out of range.
Henderson goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Merquez shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Henderson defends it nicely.
Merquez thows a left - swing and a miss!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Merquez throws a shot to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Henderson looks to land a right hand but Merquez moved out of range.

Merquez drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Henderson struggling a bit here.
Henderson is looking for a sweep.
Henderson is working hard here to advance position.
Henderson struggling a bit here.
A lull in the action here.
Henderson wants to control but Merquez postures up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Merquez trying to control the position but Henderson is working away.
Henderson is looking for a sweep.

Merquez working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
An elbow from Merquez crashes against the mat.
Henderson takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Merquez passes to full mount! That's big trouble for Henderson!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Henderson working to try and regain half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Merquez wants to control the pace but Henderson is squirming around nicely.
Henderson wants to hold on but Merquez pushes him away.
Merquez lands a nice shot to the head.
Henderson prevents any damage by holding on tight.
Merquez punishing his opponent with strikes.
Merquez breaks from Henderson's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Merquez trying to control but Henderson is having none of it.
Merquez controlling from the full mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Merquez trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Merquez thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Henderson is looking to get to half guard.
Henderson knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Merquez on the ground.
Henderson is squirming around, avoiding Merquez's attempts to control the action.
Henderson is looking to get to half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Merquez with the ground and pound from mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Felix Merquez dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Felix Merquez's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

A slow jab from Henderson misses its intended target.
Merquez throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

Merquez closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Merquez sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Henderson is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Henderson is looking to reverse the position.
Henderson manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.

Merquez is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Henderson defends it well.
Merquez landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Henderson is trying to control but can't.

Merquez is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Merquez thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Merquez throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Merquez wants to free his trapped foot but Henderson is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Merquez seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Henderson does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Merquez has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Henderson has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Merquez is working away from the top position though.
Merquez is keen to just control but Henderson is a slippery customer.

Merquez is looking for a kimura here.
Henderson on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Henderson tries to get out of the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Henderson is looking to improve his position.
Henderson has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Merquez is working away from the top position though.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Merquez missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Merquez is stalling here. Henderson is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Merquez seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Henderson has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Merquez is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Henderson off and has taken his back!

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Henderson defending nicely against the rear naked choke attempt.
Merquez is trying to stick to Henderson's back but Henderson is turning into Merquez. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Merquez's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Henderson.

Merquez is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Henderson is aware though and is defending well.

Henderson gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Henderson swings for the body but Merquez moves out of range.
Henderson uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Merquez.
Henderson thows a body shot but no joy.
Henderson scores with a jab.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Henderson.
Merquez misses with a wild body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Henderson rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Merquez counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Merquez stopping the sweep attempt from Henderson.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Merquez accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Merquez wants to control from the top but Henderson keeps moving.
Henderson has Merquez pulled in close to control his posture.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Felix Merquez showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Felix Merquez's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Merquez rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Henderson counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Merquez is defended easily by Henderson.
Merquez takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Henderson misses with a hook.
Merquez fails with an attempt to clinch.

Henderson gets caught flat footed, as Merquez shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Merquez looking to pass the guard.
Merquez trying to control the position from guard on top but Henderson is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Henderson holds on and takes a little breather.
Merquez won't allow Henderson to sweep him here.
Merquez pushes down on Henderson's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Merquez not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

Merquez seems to be working for a kimura but Henderson defends the submission attempt.
Felix Merquez has got the better of the ground game so far.

Merquez is looking for a kimura here.
Merquez trying to pass the guard but Henderson defending well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Henderson wants to control but Merquez is keeping busy and won't allow it.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Henderson is staying active underneath Merquez, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

Henderson is defending against the submission attempts here by Merquez.
Henderson manages to get to full guard.
Henderson is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Merquez is controlling him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Henderson is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Merquez sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Henderson's guard.
Henderson is trying to control but can't.
Henderson blocking the ground and pound attempt from Merquez.
Merquez working over Henderson with some ground and pound. Henderson looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Henderson trying to control but Merquez postures up.
Henderson is not content to let Merquez control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Henderson trying to control but Merquez postures up.
Henderson wants to improve his position but Merquez is controlling well.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Merquez is thwarting Henderson's attempts to control the position.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Dan Henderson has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Merquez scores with a jab to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Felix Merquez really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Felix Merquez's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Merquez takes a swing at Henderson's ribcage but misses.
Merquez scores with a body shot.
Merquez is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Henderson rather than just go for the knockout.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Merquez.
Dan Henderson is winning the standup battle so far.
Merquez lands a glancing blow to the side of Henderson's head.
Henderson swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Henderson is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Henderson keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Henderson is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Henderson misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Merquez slips under a jab from Henderson.
A looping hook to the body misses from Merquez. Henderson does a little dance to reset his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Merquez changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Merquez cracks Henderson with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Henderson throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Merquez throws a right and a left that both miss.
Henderson connects with a looping right hand.
Merquez thuds a left hand into Henderson's body.
A telegraphed right hand from Henderson misses the target.
Henderson avoids a kick to the body.
Merquez is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Henderson wants to slow Merquez down by chopping away at his legs.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Henderson moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
A jab from Henderson misses.
Merquez throws a right and a left that Henderson avoids nicely.
Merquez shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Henderson pinned against the cage. Henderson gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Merquez throws a lazy right hand but Henderson sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Merquez looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Henderson!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A nice elbow there by Merquez.
Merquez breaks from Henderson's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Merquez misses with a head shot.
Poor strikes thrown by Merquez there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Henderson tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Merquez with shots to the head and body - Henderson looks very uncomfortable down there.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A nice elbow there by Merquez.

Merquez has control of Henderson's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Henderson regains control of the situation pretty easily.
Henderson tries to lock up and control but Merquez gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Merquez connects with a couple of good shots from mount.

Merquez is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Henderson has managed to escape the submission attempt.
Merquez fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Merquez avoids the attempt from Henderson to control.
Merquez throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Henderson because Merquez loaded up on that one.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Merquez controlling his opponent.
Henderson really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Felix Merquez dominated that fourth round.
The cut man is working on Felix Merquez's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! And we move into the final round!

Henderson cracks Merquez with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Merquez lands with a nice body punch.
Henderson looks to land a left hand but Merquez moved out of range nicely.

Merquez drives through with a takedown into Henderson's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Merquez slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Merquez is chipping away with strikes.
Merquez wants to lay and pray for a moment but Henderson keeps working.
Merquez landing strikes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Henderson is looking for a sweep.
Henderson stops Merquez from passing to mount.
Henderson managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Merquez.
The strikes coming from Merquez are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Merquez grinds an elbow into Henderson's temple.
Merquez tries to move into full mount but can't pass Henderson's legs.
Merquez trying to control the position but Henderson is working away.
A control attempt from Henderson but he's now mounted!
Henderson keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Merquez raining down hammerfists from mount.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Henderson tries to hold on but Merquez pushes him away.
Merquez controlling from the full mount.
Henderson is working to get back to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Merquez thowing shots but they're missing.
Henderson is trying to escape the mount.
Dan Henderson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
BOOM! Merquez connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Merquez content just to control the position here.
Merquez lands a nice shot to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Merquez throws some wild stikes that Henderson manages to avoid easily.
Henderson is squirming around, avoiding Merquez's attempts to control the action.
Merquez in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Henderson is looking to improve his position but Merquez isn't that keen on the idea.
Merquez looking to control but Henderson is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Felix Merquez is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Merquez scores with a couple of good head shots there.

Merquez jumps to the side looking to secure the arm triangle…. Ooooh, that looks tight… Henderson is gargling but he's managed to escape! Nice work there by Henderson and Merquez has given up the dominant position trying to land that submission.

And that's the end of the fight!
Felix Merquez comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Merquez winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 45:50
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 45:50
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 45:50

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Felix Merquez!
Felix Merquez is the new middleweight champion!
Felix Merquez thanked the fans post fight for their support.