PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Wanderson Marua (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Aze Toro (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Toro has chosen Hate me or Get DIE tryn' - 50cent as his entrance music. Wanderson Marua had real problems making weight for this fight. After initially coming in at 156.4lbs, he had two hours to make the official fight weight. He made it but it will have taken a lot out of him to cut those extra few pounds. I can't wait for this one - let's get the fighter introductions out of the way and get this one started!

Marua
vs
Toro

183 cm
24
169 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

190 cm
19
164 lbs
4 - 3 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid Muay Thai
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 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Wanderson Marua!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Aze Toro!
The judges for this bout are Luis Engracia, Edson Gomes and Felipe Paraventi.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Marua shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Toro defends it nicely.
Toro throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Marua sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Marua keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Toro misses with a few strikes there.
Toro throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Toro swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Toro is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Marua fails with an attempt to clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Toro misses with a looping left.
Toro lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Marua circles away quickly and effectively.
Toro throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Marua stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Marua misses with a takedown
and Toro makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Marua uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Toro.
Marua has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Toro throws a good cross that connects.
Toro scores with a punch to the head.
Toro misses with a wild body shot.
Toro misses with a wild body shot.
Marua walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Toro jabbing away but nothing is landing.
The fighters circling - Toro throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Toro cracks Marua with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Marua gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Toro counters with a shoot takedown. Marua fights it but they end up in guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Wanderson Marua. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Toro postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Toro wants to control from the top but Marua keeps moving.
Marua utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Toro trying to control but Marua is working from the bottom.

Toro drops back looking for a leg! Marua is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Marua manages to kick Toro off! Toro jumps back into Marua's guard.
Marua keeping moving, preventing Toro from controlling successfully.
Toro sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Marua's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Toro is looking for a kimura but Marua is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Toro to get the leverage.

Toro seems to be looking for submissions.
Toro wants to take a breather but Marua is having none of it.
Marua avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Toro.

Toro is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Marua defends it well.
Toro looks gassed!
Marua manages to get to full guard.
Toro throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Marua works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

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.
Marua keeping moving, preventing Toro from controlling successfully.
Toro pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Marua is keeping the position for now.
Toro is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
No joy there for Toro, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Toro doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Marua counters with a head kick.
Toro throws the left hand but Marua avoids the punch easily.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Aze Toro dominated that round.
That's time! Marua's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Marua throws a sloppy head kick and Toro moves out of range easily.
Toro throws a lazy right hand but Marua sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Marua takes one to the chin there.
Marua throws a hook but Toro avoids it easily.
A slow jab from Toro misses its intended target.
Toro misses with a double jab

and Marua counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Toro wants to sweep here but Marua controlling him for the moment.
Toro doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Marua passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Toro gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Toro slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Marua trying to control but Toro is working from the bottom.

Toro has his foot on Marua's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Marua works his way back into a safe position though.
Toro lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Marua!

Toro is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Marua can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Toro misses with a head shot.
Marua really trying hard to get back to half guard here.

Toro moves into side control, trying to work for a kimura. That looks painful! Will he finish!!?? No, Marua has worked his arm free - good work by Marua!
Toro landing strikes.
Marua dodges the ground and pound from Toro.
Toro misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Toro goes for an armbar! This could be all over! Wait, no, Marua rolls with the submission and now he's on top in Toro's guard! Nice work there by Marua!
Toro tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Toro lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Marua!
Toro looking to ground and pound but Marua is blocking nicely.
Toro unloading with bombs!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Toro stands up from mount. Strange move.
Toro jabbing away but nothing is landing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Toro misses with a combination
and Marua counters with a nice uppercut.
Toro throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Marua throws out a leg kick but Toro moves out of range and Marua only half commits.

Toro fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Marua sprawls well initially but Toro persists and gets the takedown into half guard.

Marua manages to escape and get back to his feet!
Nice shot lands for Toro.
Toro fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Marua on the side of the head.
Toro connects with a nice looking jab.
Toro misses the shot to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Aze Toro will probably get the nod - 10:9.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Toro avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Some wild striking there from Toro.
Toro falls off balance throwing a combination
and Marua counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Toro shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Marua but Marua pushes him off and we're back to square one.
A punch lands to the side of Marua 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Toro stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Marua takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Toro keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Toro misses with an uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Toro stuns Marua with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Toro jabs at Marua's body.
Toro misses with a double jab.
Aze Toro seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Toro throws a right and a left that both miss.
Nice defenses there by Marua.
Toro blocks a head kick by Marua.
Toro throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Marua stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Marua is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Toro falls off balance throwing a combination
and Marua counters with a straight right hand.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Marua will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Toro throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Toro throws a shot to the body.
Toro lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Toro lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Toro.
Toro goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Toro misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Marua.
Toro misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Marua counters with a thumping low kick.
Toro with a jab.
Toro lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Toro.
Toro lands a jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Toro with a lazy takedown attempt
and Marua counters with a head kick. That will keep Toro thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Aze Toro seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Toro keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Marua slips under a jab.
Toro lands a jab to Marua's midsection.

Toro gets a takedown into half guard.

Toro seems to be working for a kimura but Marua defends the submission attempt.

Toro is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Toro is trying to work for a kimura but Marua is defending well.

Toro is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.

Marua kicks off Toro and gets to his feet.

And that's the end of the fight!
Aze Toro comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Toro has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 27:30
Judge Edson Gomes scores the fight 27:30
Judge Felipe Paraventi scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Aze Toro!