PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Pe Lurpo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Manel Cruz (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Cruz is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Walk. Pe Lurpo could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Manel Cruz's chin.

Lurpo
vs
Cruz

179 cm
23
180 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

185 cm
25
179 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Big heart

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Prefers standup

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Pe Lurpo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Manel Cruz!
The judges for this bout are Johanna Lukiainen, Ben Zyskovitsi and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cruz tries a head kick but it misses.
A low kick from Lurpo is predictable there
and Cruz counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Lurpo is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Lurpo with a poor takedown
and Cruz counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Lurpo with a poor takedown
and Cruz counters with a left and a right that stings Lurpo.
Cruz dodges the punch combination from Lurpo.
Pe Lurpo seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Lurpo shoots in but no luck this time.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Pe Lurpo. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lurpo fails in his attempt to clinch.
Lurpo looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Cruz throws a right and a left that both miss.
Both fighters are looking to counter, which isn't making for the most exciting fight in the world.
Lurpo throws a predictable looking body shot
and Cruz counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Lurpo is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Lurpo misses with a lunging right hand
and Cruz counters with a head kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cruz lands a head kick!
Cruz misses with a head kick.

Lurpo closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Cruz did well to prevent Lurpo getting side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lurpo seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Nice strikes from Lurpo there.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Lurpo stops Cruz from getting back to his feet.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.

Lurpo is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Cruz is just riding it out for now. Lurpo eventually gives up the hold.
Cruz looks like he's trying to stand up.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Cruz looks gassed!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Cruz is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Lurpo scores with a couple of nice shots.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Lurpo looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Lurpo working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Cruz is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Lurpo scores with a couple of nice shots.
Lurpo looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Manel Cruz will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Cruz uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Lurpo.
Lurpo swings for the body but Cruz moves out of range.
Lurpo fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lurpo misses with a jab to the body
and Cruz counters with a head kick. That will keep Lurpo thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!

That's one minute gone in the round.
A head kick misses from Cruz.
Lurpo misses with a hook to the body
and Cruz counters with a one-two to the body.
Lurpo misses with a body shot.
Cruz throws a head kick but Lurpo moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Cruz throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Lurpo misses with a hook to the body
and Cruz counters with a one-two to the body.
Lurpo misses the body punch
and Cruz counters with a low kick, right behind Lurpo 's knee.
Lurpo blocks a head kick by Cruz.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lurpo misses with a hook to the body
and Cruz counters with a three punch combo that has Lurpo backing up. Lurpo nods at Cruz to acknowledge the strikes.
Lurpo shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Cruz sprawls well. Cruz wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Lurpo gets slowly back to his feet.
Cruz misses with a jab, cross combination.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.

Lurpo shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Lurpo was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Lurpo 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.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Lurpo landing strikes from the mount and Cruz is in trouble!
Lurpo looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.

Lurpo looking for an armbar but decides to keep the dominant position instead.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pe Lurpo dominated that second round.
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!

That kick from Cruz tenderised Lurpo's leg. Lurpo is trying to keep his angry face on.
Cruz throws a sloppy head kick and Lurpo moves out of range easily.
Lurpo is looking to wear down Cruz with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lurpo throws a right hand that misses
and Cruz counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cruz throws a nice head kick!
Lurpo throws a predictable looking body shot
and Cruz counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Lurpo throws a predictable looking body shot
and Cruz counters with a big head kick but Lurpo shrugs it off.
A low kick from Lurpo is predictable there
and Cruz counters with a head kick.
Manel Cruz is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cruz throws a right and a left that Lurpo avoids nicely.
Lurpo shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Cruz defends it nicely.
Cruz throws a sloppy head kick and Lurpo moves out of range easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lurpo with a poor takedown
and Cruz counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
No joy there for Cruz, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Lurpo looks for a takedown but Cruz sprawls well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Pe Lurpo. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Lurpo shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Lurpo showed some decent athleticism there.
Cruz is staying active underneath Lurpo, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Manel Cruz comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Cruz 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 Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 28:29
Judge Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 28:29
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Manel Cruz!