PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Vicente Escalante (ranked 68 p4p, 442 weight class) and Bobby Drake (ranked 9 p4p, 58 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Drake's choice of entrance music: Hell Yeah - Rev Theory. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Escalante
vs
Drake

183 cm
34
192
34 - 6 - 0

188 cm
31
188
22 - 19 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin

Brooklyn Apothecary
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Brooklyn Apothecary
Knockaround Guys Fight Gear

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the middleweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 34 - 6 - 0, fighting out of New York, Vicente Escalante!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 22 - 19 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Bobby Drake!
The judges for this bout are Aafke Stam, Radbod Blank and Nard Betker.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Escalante throws the left hand but Drake avoids the punch easily.
Escalante misses with a low kick.
Drake has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
Drake avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Drake tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Escalante bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
Drake slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Drake swings for the body but Escalante moves out of range.
Escalante throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Escalante tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Drake manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Escalante throws a nice outside leg kick.
Escalante tries to clinch but Drake moves out of range.
Escalante tries to clinch but Drake is having none of it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Drake throws the left hand but Escalante avoids the punch easily.
Drake punishes Escalante's body with a nice straight punch.
Escalante throws a looping overhand right but Drake ducks down to avoid it.
Drake throws out a counter right but Escalante avoids it with no problem.

Escalante has managed to clinch.
Drake is trying to break the clinch but Escalante has him pressed against the cage.

Drake's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Escalante blocks a jab.
Escalante throws a quick inside leg kick.
Drake has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Escalante finds it's way round the side to connect with Drake's head.

It looks like Bobby Drake has been cut.

Escalante gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Drake misses with the head strike.
Drake stalling in the clinch but Escalante improves position.
Escalante misses with a hook to the ribs.
Drake is trying to stall.
Drake is trying to drag Escalante to the mat but Escalante just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Drake has a couple of punches blocked by Escalante.
Escalante prevents the takedown attempt.
Drake avoids a wild elbow strike from Escalante.
Drake takes an elbow to the forehead.
Drake trying to stall but Escalante improves his position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Escalante blocking some punches.
Drake avoids a wild elbow strike from Escalante.

Escalante breaks from the clinch.
Escalante digs a good body shot into Drake's ribs.
Good exchange - Drake coming out on top.
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!
Drake scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Drake throws a jab when Escalante was well out of range.
Drake ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Drake lands a nice shot to the body.
Escalante misses with a low kick as Drake jumps back.
Escalante uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Drake.
Drake throws a lazy right hand but Escalante sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Drake lands a two punch combo.
Drake takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Good shot there by Escalante.
Escalante moves forwards but Drake connects with a nice, crisp jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drake takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
A cross from Drake lands.

Escalante closes the distance and clinches.
Escalante blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Escalante lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Escalante goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Escalante misses with a short punch on the inside.
Drake swings wildly with an uppercut but Escalante uses good head movement to avoid it.
Escalante lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Drake blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Good body shot from Escalante.
Escalante lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

That has opened up Bobby Drake's cut even more.
Drake lands on the inside with an uppercut.

Drake has moved round to his opponent's back and is looking for a suplex! Oh snap! He's tossed Escalante clear over his head and slammed him to the mat!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Drake thows a huge left but connects with the canvas and not his opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Escalante has his hands over his head blocking the strikes from Drake.
Escalante rolls, trying to escape but Drake keeps control of the position.
Escalante is trying to escape under a series of strikes and manages to escape from Drake 's hooks.
Escalante is trying desperately to improve position.
Drake takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Escalante is bucking up trying to escape but Drake cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Escalante wants to hold on but Drake pushes him away.
Poor strikes thrown by Drake there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Escalante sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Vicente Escalante will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Bobby Drake's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Drake will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Escalante is looking to slow Drake down with leg kicks.
Drake throws a poor cross that misses
and Escalante counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Drake blocks a low kick nicely.
Nice shot by Drake.
Drake throws a looping overhand right but Escalante ducks down to avoid it.
Drake swings and misses with a hook to the body.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
A shot to the body from Escalante misses
and Escalante takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Drake throws a body shot but no joy.
Drake is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Drake drops his hands momentarily and Escalante takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
A looping hook to the body misses from Drake. Escalante does a little dance to reset his feet.
Escalante throwing a counter right hand but Drake manages to avoid it.
Drake throws a jab when Escalante was well out of range.
Drake lunges at Escalante with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Escalante's hand.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
A jab from Drake misses.
Escalante seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Bobby Drake seems to be getting the better of the standup.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Escalante closes the distance but Drake moves to the side
and Drake connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Jab by Drake.

Drake shoots in and bounces Escalante off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Drake throwing strikes but missing.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Drake accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Escalante is adopting a defensive guard.
Drake throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Escalante works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Drake throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Escalante works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Drake loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Escalante looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Drake throws an elbow that misses. Escalante uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Drake's guard. Nice move by Escalante!

There's a bit of a scramble here and now Drake is on top in guard.

Drake with a flurry of punches that miss.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Escalante utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Drake throws an elbow that misses. Escalante uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Drake's guard. Nice move by Escalante!

There's a bit of a scramble here and now Drake is on top in guard.

The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Drake trying to control the position from guard on top but Escalante is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Drake trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Drake working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Escalante's head.
Drake trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Drake in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Drake trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Escalante avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Drake is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Drake is looking to work some ground and pound but Escalante has wrist control.
Drake loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Drake trying to control but Escalante is working from the bottom.
Drake tries to free his leg and advance position but Escalante is retaining full guard.
Drake 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.
Escalante preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Bobby Drake showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Bobby Drake's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Escalante's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Drake connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Escalante scrambles back to his feet.
Drake fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Drake tests Escalante's chin there with a solid looking shot.

Drake closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Drake lands in his opponent's guard.

Escalante wriggles free and stands up.
Drake fails to land the takedown.
Drake looks to throw the jab but Escalante is out of range.
Drake tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Escalante defends well and Drake ends up having to push Escalante into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Vicente Escalante has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Bobby Drake.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Escalante misses with a straight right.
Drake throws out a counter right but Escalante avoids it with no problem.
Escalante throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Escalante uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Drake.
Drake looks to land a right hand but Escalante moved out of range.
Escalante is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Escalante moves into the clinch successfully.

Drake's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Drake takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Escalante throws a lazy right hand but Drake sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Drake tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Drake on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Escalante. Escalante obviously looking to wear him down.
Drake takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Escalante pivots, looking for a leg kick but Drake is out of range and Escalante settles back down.
Drake throws a jab when Escalante was well out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Escalante tries to land a leg kick but Drake saw it coming and moves away.
Drake throws a shot to the body.
Escalante lands with a cross.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Drake has his takedown stuffed
and Drake takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

The cut above Bobby Drake's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Drake throws a jab but it's blocked by Escalante.
Drake takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
A big right from Drake misses.
Drake throws a hook but Escalante avoids it easily.
A good leg kick by Escalante.
Drake tries to move into range but Escalante moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Drake fails to land the takedown.
Escalante misses with a body shot.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Drake! But no joy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drake takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Escalante lands a nice leg kick that just misses Drake's sensitive parts.
Escalante lands a jab.
Drake throws the left hand but Escalante avoids the punch easily.
Escalante throws a big counter combination but Drake scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Left hook, right uppercut from Drake.
Drake misses with a hook. Escalante ducked under it nicely.
Escalante's Muay Thai looks sharper than normal. He has obviously been working on it in the gym.
Drake throws out a loose jab but Escalante uses good head movement to avoid it.
Drake ducks under a wild hook from Escalante.
Drake misses with a hook.
Escalante tried to counter with a leg kick but Drake avoided it.
Escalante lands a slapping body shot.
Drake takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Nice cross by Escalante.

Bobby Drake's cut is absolute horrible now. This looks like something out of a horror film with blood covering both fighters.
Drake on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Drake might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Escalante wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Nice uppercut lands for Escalante. That snapped Drake's head back.

Drake is rocked!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Escalante ducks under a wild hook from Drake.
Drake is still on wobbly legs! Can Escalante finish him?
Escalante feints a jab and as Drake dips his head, Escalante unleashes a brutal head kick that catches Drake right on the jaw! Timbeeer! Drake falls backwards in slow motion, only propped up by the cage! Escalante smiles a psychotic smile as he stares down his unconscious opponent. That is a scary man.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:12 of round 3, we have a winner by way of KO (Head Kick). Vicente Escalante!
Vicente Escalante retains his middleweight title!
Our winner, Vicente Escalante, made sure he spent some time buttering up the crowd during his post fight interview, which will no doubt bring him a few more fans.