PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Sauvage Thibodeaux (ranked 2471 p4p, 2678 weight class) and Paul Welch (ranked 324 p4p, 346 weight class). On his way into the cage it seems that Sauvage Thibodeaux has been attacked by a crazed fan! It looks like it might have been the just bleed guy! Luckily Sauvage Thibodeaux seems to be OK! I thought that lunatic was in prison!?

Thibodeaux
vs
Welch

180 cm
22
195
7 - 4 - 0

180 cm
24
185
7 - 6 - 0

Powerful takedowns
Basic striking
Granite chin

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Conviction

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 7 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Sauvage Thibodeaux!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Paul Welch!
The judges for this bout are Paul Tew, Daniel Bishop and Colin Fotheringham.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Thibodeaux tries to score a power double leg takedown but Welch sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Thibodeaux somewhat.
Welch throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Welch lands a nice shot to the body.
Thibodeaux misses with a takedown attempt - Welch sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Welch getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Welch looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Thibodeaux displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Welch throws out the jab.

Thibodeaux clinches with his opponent.

Thibodeaux turns his back and goes for a hip toss. It's a bit messy but it gets the job done and Thibodeaux manages to end up in side control.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
You can see the frustration on Welch's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Thibodeaux looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Welch is avoiding damage well.
Thibodeaux 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.
Thibodeaux in side control lands a decent elbow.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Thibodeaux lands some shots froms side control.
Thibodeaux creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.
Welch struggling a bit here.
Thibodeaux taking a breather here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thibodeaux working away.
Welch tries to bench press Thibodeaux off him but Thibodeaux keeps the position.
Welch really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Thibodeaux. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

Thibodeaux is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Welch is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Welch trying to remain calm as Thibodeaux controls from the top position.
Welch wants to control but Thibodeaux postures up.
Thibodeaux in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Thibodeaux in side control lands a decent elbow.
Thibodeaux is chipping away with strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thibodeaux connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Welch some visible discomfort.
You can see the frustration on Welch's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Welch tries to improve position but can't.

Thibodeaux is in a dominant position here, looking for a kimura. Welch looks calm but he's in trouble here. Thibodeaux gets his leg over his opponent's head and yanks on the arm. Welch is tapping like a morse code operator on the titanic! SOS! SOS! Thibodeaux lets go of the hold and Welch can pop his arm back in it's socket.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:34 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Kimura). Sauvage Thibodeaux!
During a confident post fight interview, Sauvage Thibodeaux thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.