PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Jax Karthus (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Raul Mendonza (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Karthus
vs
Mendonza

175 cm
22
162 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

179 cm
24
165 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Good chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Decent boxing
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Jax Karthus!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Raul Mendonza!
The judges for this bout are Paulsen Ambrosius, Aafke Stam and Wagner Zegers.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Karthus shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Mendonza sprawls well. Mendonza wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Karthus gets slowly back to his feet.
Karthus misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.

Mendonza darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Karthus trying to control but Mendonza postures up.
Mendonza controlling the action here.
Karthus wants to improve his position but Mendonza is controlling well.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
Karthus is looking to control Mendonza's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Karthus avoid being mounted?
Mendonza missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Karthus tries to get to full guard but Mendonza has control of the leg.
Karthus trying to control but Mendonza postures up.

That's two 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.
Karthus flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.

Karthus gets in close and instigates a clinch.

Mendonza drags the fight down to the ground.
Karthus looking to pass the guard.
Karthus wants to stand but Mendonza has a closed guard, so he can't escape.

Mendonza looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Karthus wants to stand and escape but instead Mendonza has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.
Mendonza passes easily into side control. Nice work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Karthus is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Mendonza is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Karthus will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
Karthus can't do much from the bottom here.
Mendonza controls the position.
Mendonza creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Karthus sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Mendonza moving around in side mount but really he's just happy to control for now.
Mendonza misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Mendonza is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Karthus will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
Karthus tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Mendonza working away.
Karthus being controlled for a moment.
Karthus is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Mendonza controls the position.
Karthus tries to buck Mendonza off but Mendonza is having none of it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Raul Mendonza 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.

Karthus has his takedown stuffed
and Mendonza counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.

Karthus closes the distance and clinches.
Karthus tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Mendonza smiles and moves away.
Jax Karthus is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Karthus avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Mendonza misses with an uppercut. Karthus saw that one coming.

Karthus forces Mendonza back against the cage and clinches.
Karthus scores with a nice hook to the head.
Karthus keeps control of Mendonza as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Karthus keeps control of Mendonza as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Mendonza breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Mendonza keeps the fight on the outside.
Mendonza looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Karthus is fending him off so far but Mendonza persists. Nope, Karthus circles away and we're back to standing.
Mendonza throws a right and a left that both miss.
Mendonza is breathing heavily.
Mendonza stuffs the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jax Karthus. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Karthus looks to clinch
and Mendonza counters with a nice body shot.
Karthus misses with a body kick.
Mendonza clinches but Karthus breaks the clinch

and Karthus moves into the clinch.
Karthus fails to pull guard.
Mendonza digs a right hand into Karthus's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Karthus's gas tank.

Karthus drags the fight down to the ground.
Mendonza content to stall in guard here.
Karthus wants to sweep here but Mendonza controlling him for the moment.
Mendonza trying to control the position from guard on top but Karthus is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Mendonza sitting in guard, not really doing much.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Karthus not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Mendonza looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Karthus not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

Mendonza stands up from Karthus's guard - Mendonza perhaps looking for a knockout.
Karthus misses with a combination
and Mendonza counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Karthus thinking.
Karthus moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

Karthus clinches.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Mendonza breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Mendonza misses with a looping left.

Karthus looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Karthus tries to pass to full mount but Mendonza defends it.
Karthus wants to take a breather but Mendonza is having none of it.
Karthus wants to stand up but Mendonza manages to regain full guard.
Mendonza wants to sweep but no luck.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Karthus trying to control but Mendonza is working from the bottom.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Karthus accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Karthus tries to clinch but Mendonza moves out of range.

Karthus moves into the clinch.

Mendonza breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Karthus misses with a few strikes there.
Mendonza throws a left and a right that both miss
and Karthus counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Some bone on bone action there as Mendonza checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Karthus fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Karthus scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jax Karthus dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Mendonza decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Karthus wants to control but Mendonza passes into side.
Karthus tries to improve position but can't.
Mendonza tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
Mendonza trying to control the action but Karthus is working from the bottom.
Karthus struggling a bit here.
Karthus is trying to improve his position.
Karthus is working hard here to advance position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mendonza moving around in side mount but really he's just happy to control for now.
Mendonza takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
An inside leg kick from Karthus misses.
Mendonza tries to close the distance and clinch up but Karthus swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Mendonza throws a sloppy body shot
and Mendonza takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Karthus is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Mendonza changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Karthus tries to avoid it but Mendonza manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Karthus to the ground. Karthus escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Karthus fails with the takedown

and Mendonza decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Karthus's guard.
Karthus on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Karthus tries to get out of the position.
Mendonza trying to control the position from guard on top but Karthus is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Raul Mendonza has got the better of the ground game so far.
Mendonza might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Karthus kaven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Karthus is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Mendonza is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Karthus looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Karthus is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Karthus trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Mendonza won't allow Karthus to get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Mendonza throws a left and a right that both miss

and Karthus holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Karthus is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Karthus fails to pull guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jax Karthus. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Mendonza tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Karthus just stands there and leans against the cage.
Karthus tries to score a body lock takedown but Mendonza shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Karthus is leaning against Mendonza and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Karthus fails to pull guard.
A frustrated look appears on Mendonza's face as he tries to break the clinch.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Mendonza misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Karthus stalling in the clinch.

Karthus drags the fight down to the ground.
Mendonza wants to control from the top but Karthus keeps moving.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Karthus is pulling down on Mendonza's head to control his posture.
Mendonza trying to control but Karthus is working from the bottom.
Mendonza stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Karthus swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Mendonza sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Mendonza preventing the sweep.
Karthus doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Karthus is trying to control the position from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
Raul Mendonza comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Mendonza 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 Paulsen Ambrosius scores the fight 28:29
Judge Aafke Stam scores the fight 28:29
Judge Wagner Zegers scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Raul Mendonza!