PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Capac Dezba (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Raul de la Madrugada (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Raul de la Madrugada is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Dezba
vs
de la Madrugada

183 cm
21
195 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

193 cm
23
220 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Good chin

Good takedowns
Counter striker
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Capac Dezba!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Raul de la Madrugada!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
de la Madrugada takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Dezba misses with a wild combination.

de la Madrugada gets a takedown into half guard.
de la Madrugada scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Dezba tries to roll over but de la Madrugada keeps him under control.

de la Madrugada looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
Dezba wants to improve his position but de la Madrugada is controlling well.
Dezba is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of de la Madrugada's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take de la Madrugada's back!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dezba wants to control but de la Madrugada is keeping busy.

Dezba looking for the RNC.
de la Madrugada is really stuck here.
Even with his hooks in, Dezba manages to miss with strikes from the back.

Dezba patiently working for the choke. Which fighter will keep their nerve here?
de la Madrugada looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.

Dezba looking for the choke but no joy.
Will Dezba go for the finish here or will he try and keep control of the position?

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Dezba missing with strikes from the back.
Dezba is looking to control de la Madrugada but de la Madrugada is wriggling around and keeping busy.

Dezba is looking for the choke from the back position but de la Madrugada is controlling his hands well.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Dezba is breathing heavily.
de la Madrugada turns into Dezba and is now in his guard.
de la Madrugada passes into half guard.
de la Madrugada seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
de la Madrugada passes to side control.

de la Madrugada looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Dezba is looking for a sweep.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

de la Madrugada is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Dezba is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
de la Madrugada landing strikes.
Dezba tries to buck de la Madrugada off but de la Madrugada is having none of it.
de la Madrugada in side control lands a decent elbow.
de la Madrugada taking a breather here.
de la Madrugada scores with a couple of short elbows.
Dezba tries to bench press de la Madrugada off him but de la Madrugada keeps the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

de la Madrugada tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Dezba is being controlled here.
de la Madrugada lands a decent elbow from side control.

de la Madrugada is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Dezba is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
You can see the frustration on Dezba's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Dezba sneaks back into half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Raul de la Madrugada dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

de la Madrugada moves out of range of the body kick from Dezba.

de la Madrugada forces Dezba back against the cage and clinches.
Dezba wants to break free but de la Madrugada has control.
de la Madrugada misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Dezba.
Dezba is looking to break free of the clinch but de la Madrugada has double underhooks.
de la Madrugada stalling.

de la Madrugada ties up his opponent against the cage and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. de la Madrugada no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.
de la Madrugada has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Dezba wanted to stand there but de la Madrugada had control of the position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Dezba trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
de la Madrugada looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.

de la Madrugada is looking for a triangle but Dezba pushes his legs off easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
de la Madrugada can't keep his opponent in guard - Dezba advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
de la Madrugada is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Dezba's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Dezba's back!
I really don't envy Dezba right now.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
de la Madrugada lands a shot to the head.
Dezba rolls, trying to escape but de la Madrugada keeps control of the position.

de la Madrugada has his hand under the chin of his opponent looking for the choke. He's nearly got it! This one could be all over! But no, Dezba has freed his hand and lives to survive another… well, another couple of seconds at least!

de la Madrugada working for a RNC but it's not happening just yet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
de la Madrugada has the hooks in. Dezba is trying to push off one leg but he has to do so cautiously to avoid being submitted.

de la Madrugada is remaining active here, looking for the choke. The more discerning members of the crowd will appreciate his efforts.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Dezba showing good submission defense here.
Dezba trying to control the position but de la Madrugada manages to sink in the hooks.

de la Madrugada looking for the choke but no joy.
Raul de la Madrugada has got the better of the ground game so far.
de la Madrugada is hanging on to Dezba's back as he tries to escape.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
de la Madrugada doesn't have the hooks in and Dezba manages to turn into his guard.
de la Madrugada keeping moving, preventing Dezba from controlling successfully.
Dezba pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. de la Madrugada is keeping the position for now.
de la Madrugada is trying to control the position but Dezba postures up.
Dezba trying to control but de la Madrugada is working from the bottom.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now de la Madrugada is on top in guard.
de la Madrugada stands and throws Dezba's legs to the side, diving into side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.

de la Madrugada tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no de la Madrugada has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
You can see the frustration on Dezba's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

de la Madrugada thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Dezba gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Dezba is staying active underneath de la Madrugada, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Raul de la Madrugada showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Dezba with a poor takedown

and de la Madrugada holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
de la Madrugada tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Dezba managing to block the knees to the body from de la Madrugada.
de la Madrugada trying to land knees to the body.
de la Madrugada taking a breather.

de la Madrugada has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Dezba uses from the top position.

de la Madrugada has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Dezba can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.

de la Madrugada working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Dezba doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Dezba manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
de la Madrugada takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Dezba stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. de la Madrugada swivels though and keeps the full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
de la Madrugada is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.

Dezba drops back, looking for a kneebar! de la Madrugada looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. de la Madrugada looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from de la Madrugada!

de la Madrugada wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Dezba, who protects the arm well.
An elbow from de la Madrugada crashes against the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dezba wants to control but de la Madrugada postures up.
Dezba is looking for a sweep.

de la Madrugada tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
You can see the frustration on Dezba's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Dezba manages to work his way to half guard, despite de la Madrugada's best efforts.
de la Madrugada is trying to control the action in half guard but Dezba is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

Dezba looking for submissions off his back.
Dezba is trying to get back to full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dezba is working hard here to advance position.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
Dezba moves into full guard.
Dezba can't keep his opponent in guard - de la Madrugada advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Raul de la Madrugada is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
de la Madrugada content to control rather than advance.

Dezba looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
de la Madrugada is taking a breather. Dezba says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
de la Madrugada's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Capac Dezba has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Dezba is looking for a sweep. de la Madrugada is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Raul de la Madrugada comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got de la Madrugada 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Andi Peters scores the fight 27:30
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 27:30
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Raul de la Madrugada!