PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Gabriel Gray (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Joseph Watson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Watson has chosen I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin as his entrance music. Joseph Watson is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Gray
vs
Watson

185 cm
22
195 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

188 cm
20
181 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Prefers standup

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Gabriel Gray!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Joseph Watson!
The judges for this bout are Eddie Farnsworth, Jorge Garcia and John Kavanagh.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gray is looking to clinch.
Gray throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Watson 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.
Watson pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Watson closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Gray to the mat! Gray manages to get full guard.
Watson trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Gray is looking to stand up but Watson isn't so interested in that idea.
Watson showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Watson working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Watson prevents Gray from getting back to his feet.
Watson wants to pass the guard but Gray is keeping the position.
Watson throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Gray works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Watson trying to control but Gray is working from the bottom.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Gray tries to close the distance and clinch up but Watson swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Gabriel Gray is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Gray is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Watson doesn't manage to clinch there - Gray circles away.

That's two 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.
Watson tries to land a body kick
and Gray counters with a leg kick.
Gray closes the distance looking to clinch

and Watson decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Gray's guard.
Watson wants to control from the top but Gray keeps moving.
Gray trying to strike off his back.

Watson stands up and waves to Gray to follow him.
Gray tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Watson counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Gray taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Watson wants to break free but Gray has control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gray tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Gray tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
A knee to the head by Gray.
Watson is looking to break free of the clinch but Gray has double underhooks.
Gray with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Watson wants to break the clinch but can't.
Watson tries to pull guard but Gray won't allow it.
Watson tries to stall but Gray uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Gray using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Watson has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Watson drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Gray gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Watson wants a takedown.
Gabriel Gray has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Joseph Watson.
Gray scores with a shot to the side of Watson's head.
Gray taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Watson looking to throw knees to the head but Gray is blocking nicely.
Watson looks gassed!
Gray misses with a knee to the head.
Watson wants to break free but Gray has control.
Watson is trying to break free.

Gray breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Gray tries to clinch but Watson moves away
letting Watson counter with a right hand.

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.
Watson connects with a single shot there.
Gabriel Gray seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Watson misses with a head kick.
Watson tries to land a front kick but Gray steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Watson tries to clinch but Gray moves away
and Gray counters with a nice body kick.
Gray closes the distance but Watson moves to the side

and Watson counters with a nice double leg into side control. Gray won't be happy with that.
Gray is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Watson asserts his dominance and retains side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joseph Watson dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Gray darts in trying to clinch
and Watson counters with a left to the body.
Gray clinches but Watson breaks the clinch
and Watson counters with a nice uppercut.
Gray scores with a kick to the body.
Watson tries to land a body kick
and Gray counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Watson is lucky that one didn't land flush.

Gray closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Gray landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Watson is trying to break the clinch but Gray has him pressed against the cage.

Gray breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Gray tries to clinch but Watson moves away

and Watson counters with a nice double leg into side control. Gray won't be happy with that.
Gray manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Watson with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Watson is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Watson is keen to just control but Gray is a slippery customer.
Gray is trying to get back to full guard.

Watson is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Watson prevents Gray from standing back up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's two 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.
Gray is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Gray gets back to full guard.
Gray is looking to stand up but Watson isn't so interested in that idea.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Gray closes the distance looking to clinch
and Watson counters with a straight right hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gray throws a series of punches but Watson avoids them all with ease.
Gray looks to clinch
and Watson makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.

Gray moves into range and clinches up with Watson.
Gray working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Gray misses with a knee strike.

Gray breaks from the clinch.
Gray scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Watson keeps the fight on the outside.
Gray tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Watson counters with a thumping low kick.
Gray tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Watson counters with a left to the body.
Gray darts in trying to clinch
and Watson counters with a flying knee. Nice.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Watson shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Watson was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Gray is controlling an arm, preventing Watson from taking his back. Although keeping him in mount is no better to be honest.
Watson looking to control but Gray is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

Watson is looking to secure an arm. He's managed it! He's pivoting for an armbar - that looks tight! But Gray has managed to get out of it and now he's in a dominant position. Nice work from Gray!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Joseph Watson will probably get the nod - 10:9.
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!

Gray tries to clinch up
and Watson counters with a nice body kick.
Gray fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Gray tries to clinch but Watson moves out of range.
Gray looks to clinch
and Watson connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Watson circles away from the clinch attempt
and Gray takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Gray connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Watson tries for a takedown but Gray sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Watson takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gray clinches but Watson breaks the clinch

and Watson counters with a nice double leg into side control. Gray won't be happy with that.
Watson trying to control the position but Gray is working away.
Watson has knee on belly and moves into mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gray is trying to escape the mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Gray is trying to get to the cage to help him get back to his feet.
Gray sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
Gray wants to get back to full guard.
Gray scrambles, trying to get to his feet, but Watson manages to mount him!
Watson lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Watson trying to control but he's not successful this time.

Watson is standing up, even though he is in mount.
Gray darts in trying to clinch
and Watson counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Gabriel Gray is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Gray darts in trying to clinch

and Watson holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gray misses with a knee strike.
Gray lands an elbow inside that Watson shrugs off.
Gray taking a break, stalling in the clinch.

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

Gray clinches up with Watson and pushes him back against the cage.
Watson unloads a knee to the mid-section. Gray lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Gray stalling.
Gray trying to land knees to the body.
Watson looking for a takedown.
Gabriel Gray has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Gray unloads a knee to the mid-section. Watson lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Watson stalling.
Gray using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Watson has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.

Gray breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
The fight stays on the outside here - Gray looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Gray wants to clinch

and Watson counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Gray's guard now.
Watson lands a couple of digs.

And that's the end of the fight!
Joseph Watson comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Watson 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 Eddie Farnsworth scores the fight 27:30
Judge Jorge Garcia scores the fight 27:30
Judge John Kavanagh scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Joseph Watson!