PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Danilo Lopez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Emiley Hardison (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Danilo Lopez had real problems making weight for this fight. After initially coming in at 146.2lbs, he had two hours to make the official fight weight. He made it but it will have taken a lot out of him to cut those extra few pounds. Danilo Lopez had a look across the cage there at his opponent. He definitely means business

Lopez
vs
Hardison

167 cm
23
156 lbs
4 - 0 - 0

184 cm
18
140 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Good in bed

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
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 4 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Danilo Lopez!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Emiley Hardison!
The judges for this bout are Mauricio Rocha, Thiago Cunha and Seu Braga.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hardison showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Lopez.
Lopez throws a nice looking combination but Hardison bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Lopez scores with a three punch combo!
Hardison misses with a takedown attempt - Lopez sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Lopez scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Lopez scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Hardison throws a leg kick but Lopez sees it coming and moves out of range.
Danilo Lopez seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Hardison throws out a leg kick but Lopez moves out of range and Hardison only half commits.
Hardison showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Lopez.

Lopez tries to keep at a distance but Hardison has taken the fight into the clinch.
Hardison can't break the clinch.
Hardison is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Hardison has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Lopez after a bit of a struggle.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Lopez breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Lopez takes the fight into the clinch.

Lopez breaks from the clinch.
Lopez stuffs the takedown attempt from Hardison. Hardison gets slowly back to his feet.
Danilo Lopez has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Emiley Hardison.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Hardison.
Hardison slips a jab and a cross from Lopez.
Hardison changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Lopez tries to avoid it but Hardison manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Lopez to the ground. Lopez escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.

Lopez clinches with his opponent.

Lopez breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
No joy there for Lopez, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Lopez ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Hardison moves away.
Lopez lands the left hand.
Hardison tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Lopez swivels and escapes.
Lopez throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

Hardison closes the distance and pushes Lopez back into the cage.

Lopez pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
A punch combination from Lopez misses.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Lopez bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Hardison's head.
Lopez looks to score with a jab to the body but Hardison is just out of range.
Hardison lands with a cross.
A jab from Lopez misses.
Sloppy strikes from Lopez. Those never looked like landing.
Lopez is breathing heavily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice shot by Lopez.
Lopez leaves Hardison with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Lopez takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Lopez showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Hardison.
Lopez missing with a left hand there. Hardison was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
A punch lands to the side of Hardison 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Lopez tries to bum rush Hardison with a series of wild strikes but Hardison uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
A slow jab from Lopez misses its intended target.
Hardison tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Lopez paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Hardison uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Lopez.

Hardison darts in and clinches Lopez up against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hardison has Lopez pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Lopez manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Hardison trying to control the position but instead, Lopez has worked for underhooks and has pushed Hardison into the cage.
Hardison fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Hardison is trying to pull guard but Lopez turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.

Lopez manages to break the clinch.
Lopez fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.

Lopez fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Hardison, pushing him back against the cage.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Lopez breaks the clinch.
Hardison misses with a wild body shot.
Hardison fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Danilo Lopez dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Lopez scores with a takedown into Hardison's guard.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.

Lopez stands up from Hardison's guard - Lopez perhaps looking for a knockout.
Lopez rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Lopez takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Hardison throws a right hand that Lopez ducks under and follows up with a left that Lopez also avoids with ease.
Lopez misses with a double jab
and Hardison counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Lopez thinking.
A jab from Lopez misses.
Lopez stuffs the takedown attempt from Hardison. Hardison gets slowly back to his feet.
Danilo Lopez is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Hardison closes this distance looking for a takedown but Lopez circles away.
Hardison is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hardison throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Hardison will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

Lopez fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Hardison, pushing him back against the cage.

Lopez escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Lopez gets a double leg takedown into Hardison's guard.

Lopez stands up and waves to Hardison to follow him.

Hardison tries to keep at a distance but Lopez has taken the fight into the clinch.

Lopez breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hardison fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Danilo Lopez has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Emiley Hardison.
Lopez darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Lopez closes the distance and clinches.

Lopez pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Hardison is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Hardison shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Lopez pinned against the cage. Lopez gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Lopez lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Lopez throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Lopez shoots in looking for a takedown but Hardison manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Lopez's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Hardison wants to clinch up but Lopez keeps it at a distance.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hardison lands with a shot to the body.
Hardison shoots in for a takedown but Lopez shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Lopez throws a series of punches but Hardison moves out of range.
Lopez misses with a two punch combination.
Hardison tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Lopez was well out of range. Poor timing from Hardison.

Lopez feints and as Hardison raises his hands in defense, Lopez changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Hardison wants to sweep here but Lopez controlling him for the moment.

Hardison is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Lopez gets to his feet - Hardison follows without any prompting.
Hardison keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Hardison is looking to clinch but Lopez is avoiding it.
Lopez is looking to clinch but Hardison is avoiding it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Lopez jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Hardison changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Lopez tries to avoid it but Hardison manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Lopez to the ground. Lopez escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Hardison needs to keep his hands up - Lopez had a free shot at his head there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Danilo Lopez dominated that second round.
That's time! Lopez's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Nice uppercut lands for Lopez. That snapped Hardison's head back.
Danilo Lopez is winning the standup battle so far.
Hardison shoots in for a double leg but Lopez sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Hardison looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Lopez is fending him off so far but Hardison persists. Nope, Lopez circles away and we're back to standing.
Lopez defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Hardison.
Danilo Lopez has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Emiley Hardison.
Lopez with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Lopez stalks Hardison and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Hardison's face. Hardison staggers backwards, shaken.
Lopez displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Lopez fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Lopez jabs Hardison to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Lopez, as that shot connected.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Lopez throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Hardison.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Hardison on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Lopez looks to score with a jab to the body but Hardison is just out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lopez tries to clinch up.
Hardison shoots in for a takedown but Lopez shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Sloppy strikes from Lopez. Those never looked like landing.
Hardison tries to close the distance and clinch up but Lopez swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Nice takedown defense from Lopez. No joy for Hardison on that attempt.
Lopez pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Hardison back to the cage. Lopez follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
A swing and a miss from Lopez.
Hardison does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Hardison fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Lopez avoids it really well and circles away.
Lopez scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hardison shoots in for a double leg but Lopez sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Lopez blocks a head kick by Hardison.
Lopez cracks Hardison with a good jab.

Lopez moves into the clinch.

Lopez breaks from the clinch.
Lopez throws a combination that misses

and Hardison moves into the clinch.
Hardison is trying to break free.

Lopez breaks from the clinch.
Hardison uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Lopez.
Lopez leaves Hardison with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Lopez avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hardison walks into a straight right hand from Lopez.
Hardison tries to clinch but Lopez is having none of it.
Lopez lands with an uppercut that bounces Hardison off the cage and back into range.
Lopez misses with a double jab.
Hardison tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Lopez manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Lopez looks to land a combination but Hardison avoids it well.
Lopez avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Hardison fails with a takedown attempt.
Lopez swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Lopez throws a wild combination but nothing lands.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Hardison is defended easily by Lopez.
Lopez swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Hardison cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Lopez looks to throw the jab but Hardison is out of range.
Hardison shoots in for a takedown but Lopez shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.

Lopez fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Hardison, pushing him back against the cage.

Lopez escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
The fight stays on the outside here - Hardison looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Lopez throws a good cross that connects.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Hardison shoots for a takedown but Lopez saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Emiley Hardison has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Danilo Lopez is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Lopez looks to land a combination. Hardison sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.

And that's the end of the fight!
Danilo Lopez showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Lopez has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Mauricio Rocha scores the fight for Danilo Lopez!
Judge Thiago Cunha scores the fight for Danilo Lopez!
Judge Seu Braga scores the fight for Danilo Lopez!

Danilo Lopez wins by unanimous decision!