PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Apolo Nogueira (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hector Diaz (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Diaz has chosen Foo Fighters - My Hero as his entrance music. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Nogueira
vs
Diaz

185 cm
22
180 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

153 cm
18
170 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Granite chin

[JMFC] Blueprint Clothing

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Apolo Nogueira!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Hector Diaz!
The judges for this bout are Luis Engracia, Edson Gomes and Seu Braga.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nogueira throws a series of punches but Diaz avoids them all with ease.
A punch combination from Nogueira misses.
Diaz is looking to clinch.
Nice uppercut there from Nogueira.
Diaz is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Nogueira scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!

It looks like Hector Diaz has been cut.
A combination from Nogueira does no damage.
Nogueira scores with a punch to the head.
Nogueira throws a body punch but Diaz moves out of range.
Diaz displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Nogueira throws out the jab.
Diaz ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Diaz uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Nogueira.
Nogueira looks to land a combination but Diaz avoids it well.
Nogueira swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
The fight stays on the outside here - Diaz looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Nogueira throws a nice looking combination but Diaz bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.

Diaz has Nogueira up against the cage in a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Nogueira as Diaz tries to tie him up.
Nogueira is trying to break the clinch but Diaz has him pressed against the cage.
Diaz keeps control of Nogueira as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Diaz misses with a shot to the kidneys.
The referee calls for Diaz to work.
Nogueira tries to stall but Diaz uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Nogueira lands a right hand that snaps the head of Diaz backwards.

Nogueira breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Nogueira connects with the punch.
Diaz slips a jab from Nogueira.
Nogueira is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Diaz scores to the head and body with a nice combination!

Diaz pushes Nogueira up against the cage in a clinch.
Diaz has Nogueira pressed against the cage, preventing Nogueira from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Diaz is leaning against Nogueira and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Nogueira is trying to break the clinch but Diaz has him pressed against the cage.
Diaz lands a body shot in the clinch.
Nogueira is breathing heavily.
Diaz lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Nogueira backwards.
Diaz cracks Nogueira with a nice body shot.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Diaz creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Diaz misses with a punch to the body.
Diaz lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Diaz digs a right hand into Nogueira's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Nogueira's gas tank.
Diaz cracks Nogueira with a nice body shot.
Diaz presses Nogueira against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Diaz misses with a body punch.
Diaz presses Nogueira against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
A right hand to the body from Diaz.
Diaz landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Nogueira blocks a body shot from Diaz.
Diaz taking a breather.
Diaz works on Nogueira's body with a couple of short punches.
Diaz tries to work over Nogueira's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Diaz tries a body shot but Nogueira blocks it.
Diaz digs a right hand into Nogueira's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Nogueira's gas tank.
Diaz lands a nice shot to the body.

Diaz's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Nogueira looks to score with a jab to the body but Diaz is just out of range.
Diaz moves in looking to clinch but Nogueira pushes him off.

Diaz forces Nogueira back against the cage and clinches.
Diaz prevents Nogueira from breaking the clinch.
Diaz lands a right hand.
Diaz lands a body shot in the clinch.
Diaz slowing the pace effectively.
Diaz tries to work over Nogueira's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Good body shot from Diaz.

Diaz breaks the clinch.

Diaz moves into the clinch successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Diaz escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Apolo Nogueira seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Diaz closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Stalling in the clinch from Diaz.

Nogueira pulls Diaz into guard.
Diaz must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Diaz postures up.
Diaz would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.

Diaz gets to his feet - Nogueira follows without any prompting.

Diaz pushes Nogueira up against the cage in a clinch.
Diaz misses with a hook from the clinch.
Nogueira looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Diaz lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Nogueira.
Nogueira tries to pull guard but Diaz won't allow it.
Nice body punch from Diaz - that landed with a thud.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A body shot lands from Diaz.
Diaz throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Diaz digs a right hand underneath Nogueira's ribcage. Nogueira let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Diaz lands a body shot in the clinch.
Nogueira is trying to stall.
A right hook to the body lands for Diaz.
Diaz lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Diaz throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Diaz lands a hook to the side of the head.
Still in the clinch, Nogueira scores with a nice short uppercut.
A looping hook to the body misses from Diaz. Nogueira does a little dance to reset his feet.
Nogueira throws a left and a right that both miss

and Diaz counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Nice body punch from Diaz - that landed with a thud.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Nogueira.
Diaz works on Nogueira's body with a couple of short punches.
Nogueira prevents a body shot from Diaz.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Nogueira tries to break free but Diaz pushes him back against the cage.
A short body shot lands from Diaz as the two fighters clinch.
Diaz tries to throw a body punch but Nogueira avoids it by throwing Diaz back against the cage.
Diaz can't find room to land a body shot as Nogueira controls the action.
Diaz lands a hook that snaps the head of Nogueira backwards.
Nogueira is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hector Diaz dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Hector Diaz's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Nogueira scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Diaz doesn't seem bothered though.
Diaz tries to clinch up.
Nogueira misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Diaz.
Nogueira throws a good cross that connects.
Nogueira avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Nogueira swings away with a body shot that misses

and Diaz counters by moving into the clinch.
Nogueira tries to break free but Diaz pushes him back against the cage.
Nogueira wants to break free but Diaz has control.
Diaz has Nogueira pressed against the cage, preventing Nogueira from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Diaz tries a body shot but Nogueira blocks it.
Diaz lands a body punch.
Nogueira wants to stall.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Diaz breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Nogueira throws a jab when Diaz was well out of range.
Nogueira just misses with a punch to the body.
A combination from Nogueira does no damage.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Nogueira misses with a jab, cross combination.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nogueira misses with a wild combination.
Diaz tries to clinch there but Nogueira circles away.
Diaz tries to clinch there but Nogueira circles away.
Nogueira throws a body punch but Diaz moves out of range.
Nogueira misses with a body punch

and Diaz moves into the clinch.
Diaz leaning his opponent against the cage.
Nogueira lands a body shot in the clinch.
Diaz works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Diaz lands a body shot.
Diaz tries to work over Nogueira's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Nogueira is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
A right hook to the body lands for Diaz.
Diaz lands a body punch.
Diaz tries to throw a body punch but Nogueira avoids it by throwing Diaz back against the cage.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Diaz.
Nogueira is trying to force a seperation but Diaz has the dominant position.
Nogueira prevents a body shot from Diaz.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nogueira wants to break the clinch but can't.
A left hand lands to the body for Diaz.
Diaz struggles to land a body shot inside as Nogueira controls his hands.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Diaz.
Diaz looking to throw knees to the head but Nogueira is blocking nicely.
Diaz stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Diaz lands a nice shot to the body.
A nice right hand lands inside from Diaz.
Nogueira wants to break free but Diaz has control.
Nogueira tries to circle away but Diaz has him pinned against the cage.

Diaz breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Diaz is looking to clinch.
Good shot there by Nogueira.
Nogueira throws a left and a right that both miss

and Diaz counters by moving into the clinch.
Nogueira tries to circle away but Diaz has him pinned against the cage.
Diaz misses with a punch to the body.
Diaz tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Nogueira is trying to stall.
Diaz swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Nogueira has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Nogueira wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nogueira wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Diaz is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Nogueira has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Nogueira wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Nogueira tries to circle away but Diaz has him pinned against the cage.
Hector Diaz seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Nogueira misses with a hook to the ribs.
Diaz works on Nogueira's body with a couple of short punches.
Nogueira blocks a body shot from Diaz.
Nogueira cracks Diaz with a nice body shot.
Nogueira throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Diaz misses with a punch to the body.
Diaz is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Nogueira is trying to break the clinch but Diaz has him pressed against the cage.
Diaz lands a shot to the body.
Diaz misses with a hook to the ribs.
Diaz lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Nogueira lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Diaz backwards.
Nogueira lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Nogueira cracks Diaz with a nice body shot.
Nogueira scores with a hook to the body.
Nogueira scores with a hook to the body.

Nogueira escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Nogueira looks to score with a jab to the body but Diaz is just out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Diaz keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Nogueira.
The fight stays on the outside here - Diaz looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
A nice combination there by Nogueira.
Nogueira fails to land with a series of punches.
Nogueira circles away from the clinch attempt.
Nogueira misses with a body punch

and Diaz counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Diaz.
Nogueira wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Diaz has him pressed against the cage.
Diaz tries to throw a body punch but Nogueira avoids it by throwing Diaz back against the cage.
Diaz works on Nogueira's body with a couple of short punches.

Nogueira's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Nogueira swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Diaz counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Nogueira is looking to wear down Diaz with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Diaz misses with a few strikes there.
Diaz keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Diaz avoids a punch combination nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hector Diaz showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Hector Diaz's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Diaz tries to clinch there but Nogueira circles away.
Diaz has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Nogueira avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Nogueira takes a swing at Diaz's ribcage but misses.
Nogueira scores with a body shot.
Nogueira throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Diaz counters by moving into the clinch.
Diaz lands a body punch in the clinch.
Nogueira cracks Diaz with a nice body shot.
Nogueira tries to circle away but Diaz has him pinned against the cage.
Diaz looking to stall.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Diaz.
Diaz misses with a punch to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Nogueira prevents a body shot from Diaz.
Diaz lands a shot to the body.
Nogueira works on Diaz's body with a couple of short punches.
Nogueira lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Diaz or not.
A right handed body shot lands from Nogueira.

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

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nogueira lands a jab to Diaz's midsection.
Diaz moves out of range of the strikes.
Diaz slips under a jab from Nogueira.
Nogueira misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Diaz.
Apolo Nogueira is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Nogueira misses with a double jab
and Diaz counters with a thumping low kick.
Nogueira lands with a hook. Diaz tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Nogueira slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
A shot to the body from Nogueira misses

and Diaz counters by clinching up.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Nogueira wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Nogueira is looking to break free of the clinch but Diaz has double underhooks.
Nogueira makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Nogueira is trying to force a seperation but Diaz has the dominant position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Diaz tries to throw a body punch but Nogueira avoids it by throwing Diaz back against the cage.
Nogueira tries to circle away but Diaz has him pinned against the cage.
Diaz works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Nogueira wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Nogueira working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Nice body punch from Diaz - that landed with a thud.
A short body shot lands from Diaz as the two fighters clinch.
Diaz works on Nogueira's body with a couple of short punches.
A short right from Nogueira.
Nogueira is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Diaz is keeping busy.
Diaz taking a breather.
Nogueira is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Nogueira wants to break the clinch but can't.
Diaz is pushing Nogueira up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Diaz scores with a shot to the side of Nogueira's head.
Diaz tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.

Nogueira pulls Diaz into guard.

Nogueira is working an open guard so Diaz takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Diaz misses with a few strikes there.
Nogueira scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Nogueira keeps the fight on the outside.
Diaz looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Diaz looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Nogueira lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Nogueira.
Nogueira keeps the fight on the outside.
Nogueira falls off balance throwing a combination

and Diaz counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Nogueira lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Nogueira blocks a body shot from Diaz.
Nogueira with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
A hook to the body from Nogueira.
Diaz comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.

Diaz breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Nogueira throws a series of punches but Diaz avoids them all with ease.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Nogueira fails to land with a series of punches.
A combination from Nogueira does no damage.

Diaz takes the fight into the clinch.

Nogueira pulls guard effortlessly.

Nogueira looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Diaz wanted to stand there but Nogueira had control of the position.

Diaz got a little sloppy there for a moment and Nogueira has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Diaz has managed to get both his arms back between Nogueira's legs - danger averted.

And that's the end of the fight!
Apolo Nogueira showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Diaz has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Luis Engracia scores the fight 28:29
Judge Edson Gomes scores the fight 28:29
Judge Seu Braga scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Hector Diaz!