PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Eric Newman (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rodney Holmes (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Newman might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to "For Whom The Bell Tolls" by Metallica. The crowd seem to be enjoying Holmes's choice of entrance music: All of the Lights. Rodney Holmes is staring across the cage at his opponent, tweaking his nipples.

Newman
vs
Holmes

200 cm
22
213 lbs
8 - 2 - 0

189 cm
23
221 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

Decent wrestler
Excellent MT
Very strong

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Powerful

Fight Club Clothing™
Fight Club Clothing™

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 8 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Eric Newman!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Rodney Holmes!
The judges for this bout are Marco Blurström, Matti Vanhoillinen and Arvi Lind.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Newman throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Newman takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Newman connects with a jab.
Newman misses with a hook
and Holmes counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Newman throws a poor cross that misses
and Holmes counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Newman thinking.
Newman fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Holmes.
Newman rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Newman takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Newman misses with a double jab
and Holmes counters with a lovely shot to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Holmes jabs Newman right on the nose. Newman blinks but takes it well.
Newman doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.

Holmes takes the fight into the clinch.
Holmes scores with a shot to the side of Newman's head.
A body shot lands from Holmes.
Holmes tries to throw a body punch but Newman avoids it by throwing Holmes back against the cage.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Holmes creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Holmes stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Holmes digs a right hand into Newman's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Newman's gas tank.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Newman wants to break the clinch but can't.
Holmes lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Newman's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Holmes working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Holmes scores with a nice hook to the head.
Holmes misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Still in the clinch, Holmes scores with a nice short uppercut.
Nice body punch from Holmes - that landed with a thud.
Newman working hard to break the clinch.
Newman wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Holmes has him pressed against the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Holmes fails to land.
Newman is trying to force a seperation but Holmes has the dominant position.
Good body shot from Holmes.
Holmes lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Holmes slowing the pace effectively.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Holmes makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Newman prevents a body shot from Holmes.
Holmes working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Holmes throws a head punch that misses.
Holmes throws a head punch that misses.
Holmes holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Newman blocks an uppercut.
Holmes manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Holmes tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Holmes lands a shot to the body.
Newman takes a shot to the head.
Holmes keeps control of Newman as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Holmes working aggressively here.
Holmes misses with a short punch on the inside.
Holmes misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Holmes has a couple of punches blocked by Newman.
Newman tries to break free but Holmes pushes him back against the cage.
Holmes lands with a left to the head.
A head punch on the inside from Holmes fails to land.
Holmes scores with a shot to the side of Newman's head.
Holmes lands a hook to the side of the head.
Holmes tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Newman's elbow.
Holmes lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Newman lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Holmes.
Newman blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Newman tries to break the clinch but Holmes is controlling the position.
Holmes lands a nice shot to the body.

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

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Newman throws a leg kick
and Holmes cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Holmes scores with a jab to the jaw.
Holmes throws a right and a left that both miss.
Newman lands a jab-cross combination.
Newman dodges the punch combination from Holmes.
Newman throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Holmes counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Newman misses with an uppercut
and Holmes counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Newman misses with a right hand
and Newman takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Holmes is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Newman.
Newman misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Holmes counters with a right hand to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Newman misses with a right hand
and Holmes counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Holmes is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Newman had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Newman misses with a hook
and Holmes counters with a nice uppercut.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Newman misses with a wild body shot.
Holmes uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Newman.
Newman takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Eric Newman seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Holmes takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rodney Holmes dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Holmes looks to land a right hand but Newman moved out of range.
Holmes throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Newman swings widly with a right hand
and Holmes counters with a left to the body.
Nice jab there from Holmes.
Newman takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Newman throws a right hand that misses
and Holmes cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Holmes misses with an uppercut
and Newman counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Newman misses with an uppercut
enabling Holmes to counter with a crisp jab.
Newman throws an ugly left hook that misses
letting Holmes counter with a right hand.
The fighters circling - Holmes throws out the jab but it was never going to land.

Newman gets tackled into the cage by Holmes. Holmes maintains the clinch.

Newman pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Newman comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Newman throws an off balance right hand
and Holmes cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Newman misses with a right hand
and Holmes counters with a stiff right hand.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Newman connects with a jab.
Holmes misses with a looping right.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Holmes moves into the clinch.
Holmes lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Holmes lands a body shot in the clinch.
Holmes misses with a punch to the body.
Holmes can't find room to land a body shot as Newman controls the action.
Holmes manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Newman blocking some punches.
Newman working hard to break the clinch.
A shot in the inside from Holmes.
Holmes misses with a punch to the body.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Newman is trying to break free.
Holmes misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Holmes misses with the head strike.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Holmes lands a body punch.
Newman is trying to break free.
Holmes swings wildly with an uppercut but Newman uses good head movement to avoid it.
Newman can't break the clinch.
Holmes doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Newman is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Holmes lands a shot to the body.
Holmes lands a right hand that snaps the head of Newman backwards.
Holmes lands a body punch.
A head punch on the inside from Holmes fails to land.
A short left from Holmes.
Newman blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Holmes fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Holmes scores with a shoulder strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Holmes gets through Newman's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Holmes has a couple of punches blocked by Newman.
Holmes lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Newman.
Holmes misses with a hook to the ribs.
Rodney Holmes seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Holmes misses with the head strike.
Holmes's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Holmes lands a hook to the side of the head.
Holmes doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Holmes pushes Newman back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Holmes.
Holmes lands a left hand that snaps the head of Newman backwards.
Good body shot from Holmes.
Holmes lands a shoulder strike.
Holmes misses with the head strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Newman looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
A short right from Holmes on the inside.
Holmes works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Holmes.
Newman wants to break the clinch but can't.
Holmes misses with a hook to the ribs.
Holmes lands with a light punch inside.
Holmes scores with a shoulder strike.
Newman can't break the clinch.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Holmes.
A short uppercut from Holmes.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A head punch on the inside from Holmes fails to land.
Holmes misses with a hook from the clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Holmes.
Newman's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rodney Holmes showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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!

Holmes darts in and clinches Newman up against the cage.
Newman is trying to break the clinch but Holmes is controlling him.
Holmes presses Newman against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Holmes lands a shoulder strike.
Holmes lands a hook to the side of the head.
Newman tries to break free but Holmes pushes him back against the cage.
Holmes tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Holmes scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Holmes lands a body punch.
Holmes has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Holmes has a couple of punches blocked by Newman.
Holmes swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Newman blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Holmes lands a nice shot to the body.
Holmes fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Holmes tries to throw a body punch but Newman avoids it by throwing Holmes back against the cage.
Holmes gets through Newman's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Holmes will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Newman up against the cage.

Holmes escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Newman uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Holmes.
Newman misses with a hook
and Holmes counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Newman thinking.
Newman misses with a hook
and Holmes counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Newman thinking.
Holmes just misses with a punch to the body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Holmes. Newman does a little dance to reset his feet.
Sloppy strikes from Holmes. Those never looked like landing.
Holmes checks a low kick from Newman.
Holmes needs to keep his hands up - Newman had a free shot at his head there.
Newman misses with a right hand
and Holmes counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
A punch lands to the side of Holmes 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Newman misses with a left hand
and Holmes counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Newman throws a sloppy body shot
letting Holmes counter with a right hand.
Newman scores with a nice right hand.
Newman misses with a hook
and Holmes counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Holmes looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Holmes throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Newman throws a right hand that misses
and Holmes cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Holmes tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Newman paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Holmes misses the body punch
and Newman counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Holmes thinking.
Newman swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Holmes.
Holmes throws a body kick that misses.
Newman circles away from the clinch attempt.
Newman throws an ugly left hook that misses
enabling Holmes to counter with a crisp jab.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Holmes avoids the body shot from Newman.
A looping hook to the body misses from Holmes. Newman does a little dance to reset his feet.
Holmes on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Newman looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Newman misses with a right hand
and Holmes counters with a right hand to the body.
Newman takes one to the side of the head.
Holmes fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Newman manages to avoid it.
Holmes tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Holmes just misses with a punch to the body.
Holmes misses with a straight right.
Newman throws a lazy uppercut
and Holmes counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Nice defenses there by Newman.
Eric Newman has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
A leg kick checked by Holmes.
Newman misses with a left hand

and Holmes counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Holmes.
Holmes misses with the head strike.
Holmes stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Newman blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Newman blocks an uppercut.
Holmes misses with a hook to the ribs.
Newman looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Newman prevents a body shot from Holmes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Newman goes for a body shot but it's blocked.

Newman pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Holmes clinches.
A right handed body shot lands from Holmes.
Holmes lands a left hand that snaps the head of Newman backwards.
Holmes keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Newman's efforts to push away.
Holmes throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Holmes scores with a shoulder strike.
Newman works on Holmes's body with a couple of short punches.
Newman tries to throw a body punch but Holmes avoids it by throwing Newman back against the cage.
A short right from Holmes.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Newman's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Newman is looking to break free of the clinch but Holmes has double underhooks.
Holmes misses with a punch on the inside.
Newman is trying to break the clinch but Holmes is controlling him.
Newman tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Holmes's elbow.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Holmes creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.

And that's the end of the fight!
Rodney Holmes comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Holmes has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Marco Blurström scores the fight 27:30
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Arvi Lind scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rodney Holmes!