PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between the natural Couture (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and LEANDRO ROCHA (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

natural Couture
vs
ROCHA

180 cm
20
290 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

200 cm
21
250 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Good knees
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight 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, the natural Couture!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, LEANDRO ROCHA!
The judges for this bout are Luis Engracia, Seu Braga and Matheus Silva.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Couture pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
ROCHA shoots in but no luck this time.
Couture feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to ROCHA's calf.
Couture takes a swing at ROCHA's ribcage but misses.
Couture could do with loosing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Couture misses with a leg kick.
Couture lets loose with a powerful body kick. ROCHA will feel that in the morning.
ROCHA looks gassed!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Couture misses with a wild combination.

Couture gets a clinch.
ROCHA takes an elbow to the forehead.
Couture works on ROCHA's body with a couple of short punches.
Couture lands with a left to the head.
Couture unloads a knee to the mid-section. ROCHA lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Couture lands an elbow just above ROCHA 's eye.
Nice elbow from Couture.

It looks like LEANDRO ROCHA has been cut.
Couture landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Couture scores with a shoulder strike.
Couture scores with a knee to the head.
Nice body punch from Couture - that landed with a thud.
ROCHA takes a shot to the head.
Couture lands a shot to the body.
ROCHA takes a knee right on the jaw!
Couture landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Couture lands with a right to the head.
ROCHA takes a knee right on the jaw!
Couture lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Couture lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Couture unloads a knee to the mid-section. ROCHA lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Couture throws a blind hook that connects with the side of ROCHAs head.
Couture gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Couture gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
ROCHA misses with a body punch.
ROCHA wants to stall.
Couture scores with a nice hook to the head.
Couture crunches a lovely knee into ROCHA's ribcage.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Couture.
ROCHA fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Couture using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Couture lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
ROCHA fails to pull the fight into his guard.
the natural Couture has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of LEANDRO ROCHA.
ROCHA fails to pull guard.
Couture lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Couture scores a nice knee to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Couture lands a body shot in the clinch.
A short right from Couture.
Couture working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Couture lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Couture looking to throw knees to the head but ROCHA is blocking nicely.
Couture lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Couture lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Couture lands with a short shot to the head.
ROCHA trying to stall but Couture improves his position.
Couture digs a right hand into ROCHA's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on ROCHA's gas tank.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Couture.
ROCHA fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Couture scores with a hook to the body.
Couture scores with a knee to the head.
Nice body punch from Couture - that landed with a thud.
Couture lands a left hand that snaps the head of ROCHA backwards.

ROCHA jumps into guard, dragging Couture to the mat.
Couture is stalling in the full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Couture's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
Couture throwing strikes from guard but ROCHA blocks nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Couture showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Couture forces his way into half guard.
ROCHA has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Couture is working away from the top position though.
Couture performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Couture is nestled in close to ROCHA, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

the natural Couture dominated that round.
The cut man is working on LEANDRO ROCHA's cut.
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.

Couture goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.

Couture clinches with his opponent.
Couture tries to land a knee to the head but ROCHA blocks with his arms.
Couture working some nice short punches in the clinch.
A knee to the head by Couture.
ROCHA is working for takedown but Couture is calmly controlling the position for now.
Couture lands a body shot.
Nice elbow from Couture.
Couture lands a body shot in the clinch.
Couture lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down ROCHA.
ROCHA's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Couture lands a body shot in the clinch.
Couture landing knees to the head.
Couture lands a nice knee to the body.
Couture working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Couture works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Couture lands an elbow inside.
Couture throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Couture gets through ROCHA's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Couture lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Couture pushes ROCHA back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Couture misses with a knee to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Couture lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Couture lands an uppercut.
Couture lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Couture looking to throw knees to the head but ROCHA is blocking nicely.
Couture lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of ROCHA backwards.
Couture lands a hook that snaps the head of ROCHA backwards.
ROCHA changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Couture fights it off and pushes away nicely.
ROCHA looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Couture is fending him off so far but ROCHA persists. Nope, Couture circles away and we're back to standing.
the natural Couture has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of LEANDRO ROCHA.
Couture pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
ROCHA slips a straight right by Couture.
ROCHA ducks under a wild hook from Couture.
ROCHA shoots for a takedown but Couture saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Couture looks to score with a jab to the body but ROCHA is just out of range.
ROCHA slips a straight right by Couture.
ROCHA fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Couture's corner calls for a 1-2. Couture obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from ROCHA.

Couture takes the fight into the clinch.
ROCHA wants to break free but Couture has control.
Couture lands a knee to the body.
Couture lands a damaging elbow.
ROCHA wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Couture.
Couture working some nice short punches in the clinch.
ROCHA takes a knee right on the jaw!
Couture lands an elbow inside.
Couture unloads a knee to the mid-section. ROCHA lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Couture tries to land a knee to the head but ROCHA blocks with his arms.
the natural Couture has scored more points in the clinch so far.
ROCHA has had enough of the clinch but Couture keeps him there for the moment.
Couture lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
A short right from Couture on the inside.
Couture creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through ROCHA's defenses.
Couture lands a left hand that snaps the head of ROCHA backwards.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Couture lands a nice uppercut.
Couture crunches a lovely knee into ROCHA's ribcage.
Couture lands a knee to the head.
Nice body punch from Couture.
Couture lands a left hand that snaps the head of ROCHA backwards.
Couture lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Couture lands an uppercut.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
A short body shot lands from Couture as the two fighters clinch.
Knees to the body from Couture.
Couture lands with a right to the head.
Couture lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
ROCHA tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
ROCHA is trying to break the clinch but Couture has him pressed against the cage.
ROCHA missing with knees to the body.
ROCHA fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Couture misses with a knee to the head.
ROCHA wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Couture has him pressed against the cage.
Couture misses with a knee strike.
Couture lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of ROCHA backwards.
Couture lands an elbow that stopped ROCHA in his tracks for a moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
ROCHA wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Couture has him pressed against the cage.
Couture gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Couture lands a body punch.
Couture is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Couture's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
Couture blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Couture creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
ROCHA takes an elbow to the temple.
Couture cracks ROCHA with a nice body shot.
Couture lands a body punch.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
ROCHA tries to land knees in the clinch but Couture avoids the damage to the body.
Couture misses with a knee strike.
A hook to the body from Couture.
Couture scores a nice knee to the body.
Couture landing knees to the body.
Couture landing knees to the head.
Couture lands with a short punch from the clinch.
ROCHA takes a knee right on the jaw!
Couture lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Couture gets through ROCHA's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Couture lands a knee to the head.
Couture is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that ROCHA can do to turn this around?
ROCHA misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Couture.
Couture gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

the natural Couture dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on LEANDRO ROCHA's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

ROCHA bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.

ROCHA feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Couture controlling ROCHA's posture.
Couture is trying to keep ROCHA in close.
Couture managing to control the position.
Couture tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
ROCHA stands up over Couture, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Couture seems keen to control ROCHA's posture.
Couture can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as ROCHA controls the pace.
Couture is pulling down on ROCHA's head to control his posture.
ROCHA preventing the sweep.

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.
Couture has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
ROCHA must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

The referee stands the fighters back up. the natural Couture just wasn't active enough from the dominant position.
ROCHA slips a straight right by Couture.
Couture scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
ROCHA checks the leg kick nicely there.
ROCHA takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
ROCHA avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
A telegraphed right hand from Couture misses the target.
Couture stuffs the takedown attempt from ROCHA. ROCHA gets slowly back to his feet.
ROCHA stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Couture.
the natural Couture is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Couture swats away the attempt to clinch by ROCHA.
ROCHA steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Couture.
Couture thows a left - swing and a miss!
Couture throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
the natural Couture seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Couture swinging wilding here.

Couture has managed to clinch.
Couture lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Still in the clinch, Couture scores with a nice short uppercut.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Couture.
ROCHA fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Couture lands an elbow inside.
Couture landing some nice looking knees to the body.
ROCHA's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
A right handed body shot lands from Couture.
Couture tries a knee to the head but ROCHA blocks it.

ROCHA pulls Couture into guard.

Couture gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Couture takes a swing at ROCHA's ribcage but misses.
ROCHA bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
LEANDRO ROCHA is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Couture misses with a low kick.
ROCHA fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
the natural Couture has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of LEANDRO ROCHA.
ROCHA staying out of range there.
ROCHA looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Couture throws a low kick, looking for ROCHA's leg but ROCHA calmly moves out of range.
LEANDRO ROCHA has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Couture misses with a hook. ROCHA ducked under it nicely.

And that's the end of the fight!
the natural Couture showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Couture 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 Luis Engracia scores the fight 30:26
Judge Seu Braga scores the fight 30:26
Judge Matheus Silva scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... the natural Couture!