PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Luke Holt (ranked 24314 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hassan Msuva (ranked 3651 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Holt might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Shotta flow. Both these guys are coming into the fight with injuries so let's see if that has a bearing on the fight. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Holt
vs
Msuva

177 cm
23
172 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

182 cm
25
160 lbs
6 - 5 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Good chin

BJJ White Belt
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 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Luke Holt!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 5 - 0, fighting out of New York, Hassan Msuva!
The judges for this bout are Dean Styles, Reed Andrews and Anthony Taglia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Msuva scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Holt is breathing heavily.
Holt changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Msuva tries to avoid it but Holt manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Msuva to the ground. Msuva escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Msuva scores with a head kick.
Msuva pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Msuva feints a jab promting Holt to slip. Msuva then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Holt slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Holt swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Msuva tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A counter left hand to the body from Holt misses its target.
Holt swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Msuva misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
A head kick misses from Msuva.
Holt changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Msuva tries to avoid it but Holt manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Msuva to the ground. Msuva escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Holt tries to clinch up.
Msuva throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Holt lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Holt blocks a head kick by Msuva.
Holt tries to counter with a takedown but Msuva is quick to defend against it.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Holt.
Holt controlling the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Holt is looking to take a break and control but Msuva is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Holt looks up at the clock and then as Msuva takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Holt smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Msuva wants to get back to his feet.
Msuva is looking to get back to his feet here but Holt is keeping cool and he's managed to take Msuva's back.
Holt lands a punch to the side of the head from the back.
Holt has the hooks sunk in and you can see the will to fight slowly draining out of Msuva's body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Msuva is trying to get back to his feet but Holt has full control of the position and if anything, Msuva has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Good control from Holt.
Msuva wants to get back to his feet.
Msuva is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.
Holt controlling from the back.
Msuva is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.
Holt lands a punch to the side of the head from the back.
Holt trying to secure his dominant position for a moment - making sure Msuva doesn't escape.
Msuva is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Msuva is very frustrated here, being controlled quite effectively by Holt.
Holt lands a punch to the side of the head from the back.
Holt controlling the position well here. Msuva rolled but Holt kept the hooks locked in and stayed in the dominant position.
Holt has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Holt trying to control.
Msuva is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.

Holt is working hard for the rear naked choke here.
Msuva is trying to stand back up.
A bit of a pause in the action here. Holt controlling the positon.
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 Luke Holt will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Msuva throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Holt shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Msuva defends it nicely.
Msuva throws a head kick that half lands.
Msuva lands a high kick!
Msuva throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Holt's head.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Holt closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Holt perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Msuva wants to get back to his feet.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Holt working over Msuva with some ground and pound. Msuva looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Luke Holt overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Msuva is trying to stand.
Holt sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Msuva is trying to stand up here but Holt is controlling him well.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Msuva can do anything to dispel that myth.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Msuva lands with a nice combination. Holt backs away looking to recover.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Holt blocks a head kick by Msuva.
Holt fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Msuva avoids it really well and circles away.
Msuva scores with a head kick.
Msuva throws a head kick but Holt moves out of range.
Holt was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Nice straight punches there by Holt. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Holt.
Msuva throws a head kick but Holt moves out of range.
Holt shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Luke Holt. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Msuva throws a head kick but Holt moves out of range.
Msuva misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Holt throws a quick counter kick to the body but Msuva avoids it.
Msuva throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Msuva avoids a lazy jab quite easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Msuva plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Nice shot by Msuva.

Holt decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Msuva really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Holt. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Msuva is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Holt scores with a couple of nice shots.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Msuva. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.
Holt stops Msuva from getting back to his feet.
Holt looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Msuva wants to get back to his feet.
Holt trying to control the pace.
Msuva is trying to stand back up but Holt is controlling him

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Holt perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
The fighters circle momentarily. Msuva darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Msuva's jab looks to have found its range, popping Holt under the eye.
A head kick misses from Msuva.
Msuva lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Hassan Msuva seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
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!
Msuva misses with the combination.
Holt takes a kick to the side of the head.
Msuva throws a sloppy head kick and Holt moves out of range easily.
Holt just misses with a punch to the body.
Nice defenses there by Msuva.
Holt misses with a body shot.

Holt drives through and clinches with Msuva against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hassan Msuva showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes 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.

Msuva throws a sloppy head kick and Holt moves out of range easily.
Holt fails to land with a series of punches.
Holt closes the distance and clinches up with Msuva, looking for a takedown. Holt pushes Msuva against the cage but Msuva circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Msuva throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

Holt has closed the distance and engaged Msuva in a clinch.
Holt has Msuva pressed against the cage.
Holt scores with a shot to the side of Msuva's head.
Msuva tries to land a knee to the head but Holt blocks with his arms.
Msuva has had enough of the clinch but Holt keeps him there for the moment.

Holt has moved round to his opponent's back and is looking for a suplex! Oh snap! He's tossed Msuva clear over his head and slammed him to the mat!
Holt loading up with punches from the back mount - how long can Msuva hold on?
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!
Msuva is trying to get back to his feet but Holt has full control of the position and if anything, Msuva has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Holt is throwing strikes from the back here. Oh that last one was to the back of the head. Holt gets a warning from the referee. He throws another strike to the back of the head straight away though and the referee has seen enough. He breaks up the two fighters and stands them back up. Holt gets a real talking to here and is lucky not to get a point deducted. Holt apologises and we restart here on the feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Msuva misses with a head kick.
Holt drops down looking for a counter takedown but Msuva sprawls and moves away.
Holt avoids the head kick by Msuva.
Holt fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Msuva avoids it really well and circles away.
Msuva lands a high kick!
Hassan Msuva seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Msuva misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
As Msuva tries to get set, Holt tries to push him back and clinch up but Msuva manages to avoid the attempt.
Msuva pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Holt drives through and clinches with Msuva against the cage.

Msuva escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Holt avoids the head kick by Msuva.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Msuva throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Msuva plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
No joy there for Msuva, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Hassan Msuva is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Holt bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.

Msuva explodes and escapes back to his feet! Nice escape there!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Msuva throws a sloppy head kick
and Holt counters with a straight right hand.
Holt tries to close the distance and clinch up but Msuva swats him away and circles back towards the center.
As Holt backs off Msuva throws a huge counter combo but Holt manages to avoid it all.
Msuva takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Holt finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Msuva tries a head kick but it misses.
Msuva throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Holt avoids the head kick by Msuva.
Msuva tries a head kick but it misses.
Good shot there by Msuva.
Msuva misses with a head kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Msuva scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Msuva pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Holt fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Msuva manages to avoid it.
Msuva tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
An attempted straight right counter from Holt misses the target.
Msuva throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Holt takes a kick to the side of the head.
Holt scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Holt takes a kick to the side of the head.
Holt avoids the head kick by Msuva.
A jab from Msuva finds it's way through Holt's defenses.
Holt takes a swing at Msuva's ribcage but misses.
Msuva throws a head kick that misses.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Holt will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Luke Holt. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Holt avoids the head kick by Msuva.
Holt tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Msuva manages to circle out of the way.
Msuva misses with a wild combination.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
No joy there for Holt, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Msuva lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.

Holt drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Msuva wants to stand up but Holt is controlling him.

Holt stands and steps away. Msuva gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Msuva throws a sloppy head kick and Holt moves out of range easily.
Holt looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Msuva throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Holt's head.

Holt closes the distance and clinches.
Holt has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Msuva after a bit of a struggle.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Msuva prevents a takedown attempt there.

Holt breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Msuva scores with a nice right hand.

And that's the end of the fight!
Hassan Msuva comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Msuva has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Dean Styles scores the fight 28:29
Judge Reed Andrews scores the fight 28:29
Judge Anthony Taglia scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Hassan Msuva!
In defeat, Luke Holt stepped up to the mic, saying 'I will be back'.