PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Red Cup (ranked 4917 p4p, 462 weight class) and Jimmy Hopkins (ranked 3007 p4p, 328 weight class). Jimmy Hopkins has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Cup
vs
Hopkins

190 cm
29
183 lbs
6 - 8 - 0

177 cm
30
170 lbs
8 - 4 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Granite chin

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 6 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Red Cup!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 4 - 0, fighting out of New York, Jimmy Hopkins!
The judges for this bout are Frank Dennis, Daniel Franklin and Gwen Towbar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Cup gets in close and instigates a clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Hopkins.
A frustrated look appears on Cup's face as he tries to break the clinch.
A frustrated look appears on Cup's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Cup struggles to land a body shot inside as Hopkins controls his hands.
Cup is looking for a takedown.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Hopkins creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Hopkins swings wildly with an uppercut but Cup uses good head movement to avoid it.
Cup is looking to break free of the clinch but Hopkins has double underhooks.
A body shot lands from Hopkins.
Hopkins lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Cup scores with a shot to the side of Hopkins's head.
Hopkins displaying some good clinch control by pressing Cup up against the cage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Cup jumps guard and drags Hopkins to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Hopkins tries to free his leg and advance position but Cup is retaining full guard.
Hopkins is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cup is trying to control the position but Hopkins postures up.
Hopkins seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.

The fighters are working up against the cage. Cup manages to wriggle his way back to his feet, so the fighters are now clinched against the cage.
A short right from Hopkins on the inside.

Cup pulls guard successfully.

Cup throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Hopkins postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Cup keeping full guard, as Hopkins tries to pass.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hopkins sitting in guard here, content to control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Hopkins prevents Cup from getting back to his feet.
Hopkins trying to control the position from guard on top but Cup is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Cup pushes Hopkins off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.
Hopkins staying out of range there.
Hopkins looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Cup avoids the body shot from Hopkins.
Jimmy Hopkins is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Cup pushes Hopkins up against the cage in a clinch.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Cup wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

Cup's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Cup scores with a body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A shot to the liver by Hopkins. Beautiful body shot.
Red Cup seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Cup misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Hopkins throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Cup throws a right and a left that Hopkins avoids nicely.
Cup lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Hopkins throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Hopkins scores with a shot to the body.
Hopkins missing with a left hand there. Cup was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Cup misses with a body shot.
Cup's corner calls for a 1-2. Cup obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Cup slips a jab and a cross from Hopkins.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Hopkins is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.

Cup closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

Cup pulls guard effortlessly.
Hopkins wants to control from the top but Cup keeps moving.

The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Cup is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Cup is looking for a triangle but Hopkins pushes his legs off easily.
Hopkins not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Hopkins must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

Cup is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Red Cup dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Hopkins works Cup's body with a nice hook.
Red Cup is winning the standup battle so far.
Cup takes a jab right on the kisser.

Cup moves into the clinch successfully.

Cup's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Cup misses the shot to the body.
Red Cup is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Cup throws out a loose jab but Hopkins uses good head movement to avoid it.
Hopkins looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Cup tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Hopkins moves out of range of the strikes.
Hopkins thows a body kick. Cup tries to catch it but that hurt him.

Hopkins moves into the clinch.
Hopkins controlling the action here for a moment.
Hopkins misses with a body punch.
Cup working hard to break the clinch.
Hopkins misses with a hook to the ribs.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hopkins digs a right hand into Cup's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Cup's gas tank.
Jimmy Hopkins seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Hopkins swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Cup throws a head punch that misses.
Hopkins misses with the head strike.
Hopkins prevents the takedown attempt.
Hopkins throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Cups head.
Cup is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Hopkins lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Cup or not.
Cup blocking some punches.

Cup breaks the clinch.
Cup swings and misses with a hook to the body.

Hopkins closes the distance and clinches.
Cup misses with a body punch.
Hopkins stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.

Cup works for the underhooks and manages to get a trip takedown into guard.
Hopkins is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Cup is stalling in the full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Cup trying to control but Hopkins is working from the bottom.
Cup seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Hopkins looking for a sweep. Not yet Hopkins, not yet.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Hopkins holds on and takes a little breather.
Cup wants to control from the top but Hopkins keeps moving.
Cup will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Hopkins looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Hopkins is trying to control the position but Cup postures up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cup won't allow Hopkins to sweep him here.
Cup controls from within his opponent's guard.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Cup stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Hopkins.
Cup connects with a jab.
Hopkins tries to land a front kick but Cup steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Cup uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Hopkins has time to react.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Hopkins checks a leg kick.
Cup connects with a body shot.
Cup throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Hopkins finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.

Hopkins tries to keep at a distance but Cup has taken the fight into the clinch.
Cup has had enough of the clinch but Hopkins keeps him there for the moment.
Hopkins misses with a hook to the ribs.
Cup lands with a right to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Cup has moved round to his opponent's back and is looking for a suplex! Oh snap! He's tossed Hopkins clear over his head and slammed him to the mat!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Hopkins looking very determined here, making life difficult for Cup.
Hopkins trying to control but not successfully.
The crowd hopeful of a finish here - Cup's supporters are on their feet, screaming for him to go for the rear naked choke.
Cup seems to have improved his submission grappling technique since last time we saw him. Let's see if he can pull off a submission.
Cup is really struggling to control Hopkins but he's trying to hold on to the position.

Hopkins is staying cool under pressure, defending well against the rear naked choke attempt from his opponent.
Cup trying to control.
Cup is hanging on to Hopkins's back as he tries to escape.
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 Red Cup will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Cup misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Cup rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Hopkins counters with a nice leg kick.
Hopkins uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Hopkins steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Cup.
Hopkins comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Cup throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Cup scores with a nice right hand.
Cup misses with an uppercut
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Cup throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Hopkins counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Cup swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Hopkins blocks a jab.
Hopkins wants to counter the offense by Cup and move into the clinch position.
Cup looks to score with a jab to the body but Hopkins is just out of range.
Hopkins only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Cup misses with a double jab.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Cup rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Hopkins counters with a right hand to the body.
Cup's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Hopkins connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Cup scrambles back to his feet.
Cup throws a looping overhand right but Hopkins ducks down to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Hopkins, right into the meat.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Hopkins cracks Cup with an open hand slap.
Cup fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Hopkins manages to avoid it.
Hopkins scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Hopkins fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Sloppy strikes from Hopkins. Those never looked like landing.
Cup stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Hopkins.
Cup lands with a cross.
Hopkins displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Cup throws out the jab.

Cup has taken the fight to the clinch.
Cup jumps guard but Hopkins turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Hopkins has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. Cup seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Hopkins can turn it around.
Cup tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Hopkins just stands there and leans against the cage.
Hopkins stalling in the clinch but Cup improves position.
Cup blocking some punches.
Cup working hard to break the clinch.
Cup can't break the clinch.
Cup is trying to force a seperation but Hopkins has the dominant position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hopkins lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Hopkins.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Nice body punch from Hopkins.
Hopkins lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Cup backwards.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Hopkins creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Cup blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Hopkins is trying to maintain a safe position but Cup gets an underhook and turns Hopkins into the cage.

Cup's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Cup throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Sloppy strikes from Cup. Those never looked like landing.
Hopkins lands with a nice body punch.
Cup gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Cup connects with a body shot.
Cup stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Hopkins.
Cup throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A telegraphed right hand from Cup misses the target.
Cup misses with a few strikes there.
Hopkins moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Cup misses with an uppercut.
Cup stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Hopkins.
Cup keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
It looked like Cup wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Hopkins fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Cup.
Jimmy Hopkins has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

Cup moves into range and clinches up with Hopkins.

Cup manages to break the clinch.
Cup looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Cup sets himself, and Hopkins steps forward looking for the clinch! Cup avoids it this time.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Red Cup. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Cup misses with a right hand
and Hopkins counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Hopkins scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Cup doesn't seem bothered though.
A shot to the body from Cup misses
and Hopkins counters with a leg kick.
Hopkins defending well as Cup loads up on a big left hand.
Cup drops his hands momentarily and Hopkins takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Hopkins scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Cup doesn't seem bothered though.
Hopkins scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Hopkins feints and then cracks Cup's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Cup down.
Cup looks to score with a jab to the body but Hopkins is just out of range.
Hopkins uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Cup.
Hopkins connects with a solid leg kick.
Cup misses with a straight left.
A jab from Cup misses.
Cup has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Hopkins.
Hopkins connects with a solid leg kick.
Cup takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Hopkins connects with a high kick.
Cup throws a series of punches but Hopkins avoids them all with ease.
A slapping leg kick lands for Hopkins.
Hopkins closes the distance looking to clinch
and Cup counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jimmy Hopkins comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Cup has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Frank Dennis scores the fight 29:29
Judge Daniel Franklin scores the fight 29:29
Judge Gwen Towbar scores the fight 28:29

The fight is ruled a majority draw!