PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Ram Rocker (ranked 210 p4p, 36 weight class) and Andre Haack (ranked 538 p4p, 71 weight class). Rocker comes to the cage accompanied by For Heavy Metal we will die!. 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.

Rocker
vs
Haack

187 cm
31
178 lbs
4 - 1 - 0

183 cm
36
183 lbs
29 - 15 - 3

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Heavy handed

Zenith Nutrition (160q/$200)

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 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Ram Rocker!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 29 - 15 - 3, fighting out of New York, Andre Haack!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Jack Bonds and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Haack takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.

Rocker shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Rocker showed some decent athleticism there.
Haack tries to kick Rocker off in order to stand up. Rocker Avoids the leg push though and dives into side control.
Rocker working away.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rocker throwing shots but missing, from side control.

Rocker tries for a kimura but Haack is defending well.
Haack is trying to control Rocker's posture but Rocker avoids it.
Rocker in side control, just content to control the action for now.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Haack tries to bench press Rocker off him but Rocker keeps the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Rocker is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Haack knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
We've been hearing that Rocker has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
Haack is looking for a sweep.
Haack sneaks back into half guard.
Haack wants to improve his position but Rocker is controlling well.
Haack wants to control but Rocker is keeping busy.
Haack avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Rocker.
Haack controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.
Rocker throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Haack to regain full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rocker postures up in Haack's guard and throws a big left but Haack blocks it.
Haack wants to sweep but no luck.
Rocker is looking to work some ground and pound but Haack has wrist control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rocker working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Rocker throwing strikes from guard but Haack blocks nicely.
Rocker pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Haack is keeping the position for now.
Rocker in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Rocker trying to control the position from guard on top but Haack is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Haack lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Rocker misses the jab.
Haack connects with a leg kick. Rocker looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Donk. Haack catches Rocker right on the button with a cross.
A chopping leg kick lands by Haack.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Rocker.
Haack is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Rocker is looking to take a break and control but Haack is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Haack managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Rocker.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Haack holds on tight, trying to prevent any damage.
Haack tries to buck Rocker off but Rocker is having none of it.
Haack regains half guard, as Rocker was trying to land strikes.
Haack is trying to get back to full guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Rocker throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Haack to regain full guard.
Rocker throws a big elbow that misses.
Rocker missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Rocker scoring with punches to the head and body.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Rocker pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Haack is keeping the position for now.
Haack is trying to control the position but Rocker postures up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Ram Rocker 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.

Haack throws a solid leg kick but Rocker takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Haack.
Haack looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Rocker connects with a right hand. Haack shakes it off.
Rocker wants to clinch.
Haack misses with a body shot.
Haack displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Rocker.
Rocker shoots in for a double leg but Haack sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
A left and a right from Rocker both land. Nice combination.
Haack tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Rocker was well out of range. Poor timing from Haack.
An attempted straight right counter from Rocker misses the target.
Nice shot by Rocker.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rocker shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Ram Rocker is winning the standup battle so far.
Haack throws a head kick that half lands.

It looks like Ram Rocker has been cut.
Haack misses with a head kick.
Rocker cracks a nice hook into Haack's ribs.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rocker blocks a head kick by Haack.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rocker moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Nice defenses there by Haack.
Haack looks to throw the jab but Rocker is out of range.
Rocker lands a nice shot that snaps Haack's head back.
Rocker misses with a low kick.
Haack misses with an attempted mid kick.
Rocker keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Rocker appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
A jab lands there for Rocker.
Haack misses with a head kick.
Rocker missing with a left hand there. Haack was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Rocker fails to land the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ram Rocker. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Rocker plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!

Haack is rocked!
Rocker pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
An inside leg kick from Haack misses.
Haack slips a jab from Rocker.
Ram Rocker seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Haack misses with a head kick.
Rocker cracks the inside of Haack's front leg.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Haack takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Haack throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Rocker digs a good hook to Haack's body.
Haack fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Rocker checks it well.
Haack throws a head kick that misses.
Haack throws an overhand right that lands on Rocker's shoulder, as Rocker tries to avoid the shot.
Rocker jabs at Haack's body.
A nice inside leg kick there by Haack. That's going to slow Rocker down.
Jab from Rocker.
Rocker clobbers Haack with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Haack throws the left hand but Rocker avoids the punch easily.
Haack avoids the head kick by Rocker.
Rocker misses with a straight left.
Rocker looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Haack takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Haack will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Haack scores with the left hand. Rocker knows he should have avoided that one.
A good leg kick by Haack.
Haack misses with a body kick.
Andre Haack is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Rocker scores with the left hand. Haack knows he should have avoided that one.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Rocker checks a leg kick.
Haack pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Rocker fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Haack looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.

Rocker shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Rocker is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Haack can do to turn this around?
Rocker trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Haack is on top in guard.

This has been an exciting period of action!
Haack looking to pass the guard.

Rocker isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. Haack stacks Rocker on his neck as he steps over and passes to the side. He's now in a much more dominant position where he can look to do some serious damage. Nice move by Haack!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rocker being controlled for a moment.
Ram Rocker overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Rocker is looking to regain half guard here but Haack keeps moving and retains side control.
Haack is looking to take a break and control but Rocker is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Rocker tries to buck Haack off but Haack is having none of it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ram Rocker dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Ram Rocker'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. This is the final round!

Haack takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Haack looks to land a left hand but Rocker moved out of range nicely.
Haack dips to his left and cracks Rocker with an uppercut!
Rocker defending well as Haack loads up on a big left hand.
A jab from Rocker does it's job there.
The fighters circling - Rocker throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Haack is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
Haack rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Rocker moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Rocker closes the distance and clinches up with Haack, looking for a takedown. Rocker pushes Haack against the cage but Haack circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Rocker misses with a lunging right hand
and Haack makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
A jab from Haack does it's job there.
Rocker is trying hard to land a takedown here. Haack sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Haack takes a jab right on the kisser.
Haack waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Rocker.
Rocker feinted there with a counter leg kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rocker shoots in for a takedown but Haack shows good takedown defense.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ram Rocker. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Haack throws a head kick but Rocker moves out of range.
Rocker misses with a takedown attempt - Haack sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rocker swings widly with a right hand
and Haack counters with a nice low kick that buckles Rocker's knee momentarily.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Haack.
Haack tries a head kick but it misses.
Haack slips under a jab from Rocker.
A leg kick checked by Rocker.
Haack moves away from the strike by Rocker.
Haack is looking for the big counter here.
Haack turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Haack connects with an inside leg kick.
Rocker throws a low kick but Haack moves out of range easily.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Rocker.
Haack thumps Rocker with a low kick.
Rocker throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Rocker is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Haack moves out of range of the strikes.
Haack finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
A lazy left from Rocker finds it's target.
Rocker throws a big shot that misses.
Andre Haack has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rocker has his takedown stuffed
and Haack makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Rocker takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Rocker misses with a wild body shot.
Rocker on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Rocker avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Rocker half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Rocker steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Haack.
Haack fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Rocker.
Rocker takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Rocker, as that shot connected.
Haack tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Haack misses with the combination.
Rocker swinging wildly here.
Rocker displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Haack throws out the jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rocker takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
A nice leg kick lands there from Rocker.
Haack on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Rocker scores with a sloppy right hand. Haack should have avoided that one.
Haack throws a shot from downtown. Rocker moves away and avoids it.
Rocker wants to clinch but Haack slips to the side
and Haack counters with a big head kick but Rocker shrugs it off.
Rocker throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Haack's waist but Haack gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Rocker off to one side.
Rocker misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Haack.
Rocker blocks a leg kick.
Haack takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Rocker keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Haack clobbers Rocker with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Rocker throws a leg kick
and Haack counters with a thumping low kick.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Haack misses with a body kick.
Rocker throwing a counter right hand but Haack manages to avoid it.
A big right from Haack misses.
Haack takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Rocker tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rocker throws a lazy right hand but Haack sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Haack tries to bum rush Rocker with a series of wild strikes but Rocker uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
A punch combination from Rocker misses.
Nice jab there from Rocker.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Haack enables Rocker to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Haack manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Haack trying to control the position.
Rocker in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Rocker stops Haack from standing up.
Haack throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
Rocker won't allow Haack to sweep him here.
Rocker wants to pass the guard but Haack is keeping the position.
Haack will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

And that's the end of the fight!
Andre Haack comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Rocker 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 29:28
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 29:28
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ram Rocker!
Ram Rocker decided to hype himself up post fight. It was going well but he went on about it a bit too long and the crowd turned on him a little.