PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Felipe Cabrera (ranked 4694 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sam Drnold (ranked 6859 p4p, 0 weight class). This should be a great matchup!

Cabrera
vs
Drnold

178 cm
25
145 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

172 cm
25
155 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

Decent wrestler
Brawler
Big heart

Good wrestler
Counter fighter
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Felipe Cabrera!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Sam Drnold!
The judges for this bout are Ren Mimura, Yasuomi Hirokawa and Sosuke Kotani.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Drnold goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.

Cabrera changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Drnold looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Drnold gives up the full mount - oops, sloppy defensive grappling there!
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Drnold can do anything to dispel that myth.
Cabrera controlling from the full mount.
Cabrera lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Drnold hang on?
Cabrera misses with a series of strikes from mount. He'll no doubt be working on his ground and pound when he gets back to the gym.
Drnold tries to reverse the position but Cabrera maintains control.

Cabrera looking to secure an arm triangle but Drnold defends it well.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Drnold wants to improve position but instead he's given up his back.

Drnold defending nicely against the rear naked choke attempt.
I really don't envy Drnold right now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cabrera trying to control.

Cabrera is working really hard to secure the rear naked choke. Drnold defends successfully for a significant amount of time. Both fighters are looking very determined.
Drnold covering up well and avoiding damage.
Cabrera struggling to keep hold of the position.
Drnold trying to control but he's just got himself in more trouble.
Cabrera controlling well, preventing Drnold from escaping the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Cabrera struggling to keep hold of the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cabrera keeps control of the position as Drnold tries to break free.
Cabrera trying to control.
Cabrera throws a big right hand but he misses and hits the mat. Ouch.
I really don't envy Drnold right now.
Drnold trying to control the action but Cabrera just sinks the hooks in.

Cabrera tightening his grip on Drnold, looking for the choke.
Drnold is defending well here and trying to improve his position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cabrera lands shots from the back.
Drnold tries to roll but Cabrera sticks to his back.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Drnold is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Cabrera 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.

Cabrera is remaining active here, looking for the choke. The more discerning members of the crowd will appreciate his efforts.
Cabrera keeps control of the position as Drnold tries to break free.
Cabrera is not going to allow Drnold to sit and survive in this position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Drnold tries to break free.
Cabrera trying to control.
Cabrera trying to secure his dominant position for a moment - making sure Drnold doesn't escape.
Drnold rolls, trying to escape but Cabrera keeps control of the position.
Cabrera controls the position.
Drnold tries to roll but Cabrera sticks to his back.
Drnold really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Cabrera. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Cabrera not allowing Drnold to control his hands.

Drnold is displaying good submission defense - not really looking in danger of submitting to the rear naked choke at the moment. That could change in an instant of course if Cabrera gets his way!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Felipe Cabrera dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Drnold gets caught flat footed, as Cabrera shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Cabrera slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Drnold trying to control the position.
Drnold working a defensive guard but Cabrera manages to pass into side control anyway.

Cabrera tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Cabrera has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cabrera trying to control the action but Drnold is working from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Drnold's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Cabrera wants to control but Drnold is keeping him busy.
Drnold wants to control but Cabrera postures up.
Drnold is looking for a sweep.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
You can see the frustration on Drnold's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Drnold tries to buck Cabrera off but Cabrera is having none of it.
Drnold is trying to control Cabrera's posture but Cabrera avoids it.
Cabrera wants to stand but Drnold is controlling his arm.
Cabrera working away.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Drnold tries for a takedown but Cabrera sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Cabrera is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Drnold can do to turn this around?
Cabrera takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Cabrera swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Drnold counters with a single leg into guard. Cabrera didn't expect that.
Cabrera throws some shots to the body, keeping his opponent honest.
Drnold missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cabrera controlling Drnold's posture.
Drnold trying to control the position from guard on top but Cabrera is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Drnold accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Drnold in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Cabrera trying to keep a closed guard but Drnold is proving a slippery customer.
Cabrera is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Drnold looking to sit in guard and control but Cabrera gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Felipe Cabrera overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Drnold wants to hit a sweep here but Cabrera passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Drnold there!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Drnold keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Cabrera working Drnold over with strikes here.
Cabrera is trying to stand up but he's being controlled by his opponent.

Cabrera is going oldschool here, as he tries to force Drnold to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so Drnold shrugs it off.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Cabrera controlling the position easily from mount.
Drnold is in all sorts of trouble here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Felipe Cabrera dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Drnold misses with a few strikes there.
Good exchange - Cabrera coming out on top.
Felipe Cabrera seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Cabrera shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Drnold looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Cabrera tries to stand but Drnold is controlling from the bottom.
Drnold managing to control the position.

Cabrera is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Drnold is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Drnold is trying to control the position but Cabrera postures up.
Drnold looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
A lazy body kick from Cabrera

and Drnold decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Cabrera's guard.
Drnold must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Cabrera wants to sweep here but Drnold controlling him for the moment.
Drnold looking to pass the guard.
Drnold is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Drnold is in close to Cabrera's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Drnold lands a couple of digs.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cabrera not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

Drnold avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Drnold with a flurry of punches that miss.

Cabrera looking for a guillotine here but Drnold defends easily.
Drnold throws a strike but Cabrera rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Drnold has Cabrera pulled in close to control his posture.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drnold working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Cabrera.
Cabrera pushes down on Drnold's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Drnold is trying to get back to full guard.

Drnold is defending against the submission attempts here by Cabrera.
Drnold trying to control but Cabrera postures up.
Sam Drnold has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

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.
Drnold preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.
Cabrera wants to stand up but Drnold is controlling the position.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Cabrera is trying to control. Drnold wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Cabrera tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Drnold counters with a shoot takedown. Cabrera fights it but they end up in guard.
Drnold stopping the sweep attempt from Cabrera.
Felipe Cabrera is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Cabrera has momentary wrist control but Drnold slips an elbow through the middle.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Felipe Cabrera.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Cabrera, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Ren Mimura scores the fight 30:27
Judge Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight 30:27
Judge Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Felipe Cabrera!