PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Denver Sampson (ranked 6465 p4p, 0 weight class) and Alan Cage (ranked 5342 p4p, 0 weight class). I'm sure you'll be fascinated to know that I was talking to some pointless Z list celebrity before the fight and he thought that Alan Cage was going to win. Let's see if he was right.

Sampson
vs
Cage

185 cm
25
194 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

190 cm
22
185 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Tends to cut

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 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Denver Sampson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Alan Cage!
The judges for this bout are Albert Achterberg, Wagner Zegers and Nard Betker.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sampson shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Cage defends it nicely.
Nice sprawl there from Sampson as Cage shoots in.
Cage tries for a takedown but Sampson circles away easily

and Sampson counters by clinching up.
Cage jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Sampson walks away with a smile on his face. Cage gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Denver Sampson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Alan Cage.
Cage fails with the takedown
and Sampson counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A slapping leg kick lands for Cage.
Cage tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Sampson swivels and escapes.

Cage clinches with his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Sampson breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Sampson shoots in but no luck this time.
Cage is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Cage.
Cage lands a nice hook to Sampson's body. Sampson takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
The fight stays on the outside here - Cage looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Cage tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Cage shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Sampson sprawls well. Sampson wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Cage gets slowly back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cage attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Cage fails with the takedown

and Sampson moves into the clinch.
Cage trying to control the position but instead, Sampson has worked for underhooks and has pushed Cage into the cage.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Cage is trying to break the clinch but Sampson has him pressed against the cage.

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

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cage swings away with a leg kick that misses.

Cage is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Sampson's half guard.

Sampson has managed to escape just enough to sneak back to his feet but Cage is on him like a limpet, forcing Sampson back against the cage.
Cage on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

Cage breaks from the clinch.
Cage doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Sampson counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Sampson.
Sampson managing to block the knees to the body from Cage.

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

Sampson darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.

Cage makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Cage shoots in looking for a takedown but Sampson manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Cage's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Cage shoots in but Sampson avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Sampson is looking to counter the offense by Cage and move into the clinch.
Cage fails to land the takedown.
Cage throws the left hand but Sampson avoids the punch easily.

Sampson shoots in and bounces Cage off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Cage wants to get back to his feet but he's too absorbed in his own little project and Sampson manages to pass to side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Denver Sampson dominated that round.
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.

Cage is looking to clinch but Sampson is avoiding it.
Cage tries to clinch up.
Alan Cage seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Cage throws a head kick that Sampson semi-blocks.
Cage dives in and grabs Sampson's left leg, looking for a takedown. Sampson pushes down on Cage's head and hops out.
Cage misses with a low kick as Sampson jumps back.
Sampson wants to take advantage of his opponent's missed offense by moving into the clinch.

Sampson closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Cage to the mat! Cage manages to get full guard.
Cage wants to sweep but no luck.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Sampson stands up and waves to Cage to follow him.

Sampson dives in and scores a takedown into Cage's guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Sampson has gone for a leg lock! Cage slips out almost immediately though and dives into Sampson's guard.

The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Cage wants to control from the top but Sampson keeps moving.

Sampson is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Cage is aware though and is defending well.
Cage is looking to advance position but Sampson has hit a scissor sweep - now he's on top in mount!

Cage tries to hold on but Sampson pushes him away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sampson is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Cage can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Sampson punishing his opponent with strikes.
Sampson lands a nice shot to the head.

Cage is rocked!

It looks like Alan Cage has been cut.
Cage really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Sampson. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

Sampson working for a guillotine from mount but Cage is in no mood to give up.
Cage is still in real trouble! Can Sampson finish him?
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sampson landing strikes from the mount and Cage is in trouble!
Sampson postures up and connects with a big shot that has rocked Cage badly. He's trying desperately to grab hold of Sampson around the waist but Sampson pushes him off and unloads with more strikes, forcing the referee to jump in and save him! Sampson is the winner by TKO! Sampson jumps onto the cage and shouts into the camera. "We did it momma!"

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:56 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Denver Sampson!