PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Sam Benton (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gesias Sobral (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Benton comes to the cage accompanied by Kung Fu Fighting. Gesias Sobral has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Benton
vs
Sobral

185 cm
22
185 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

182 cm
18
200 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

Good takedowns
Counter striker
Big heart

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, for the middleweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Sam Benton!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Gesias Sobral!
The judges for this bout are Jack Bonds, Frank Antenori and Timothy Bukovac.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sobral throws a right and a left that both miss.
Benton showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Sobral.
Sobral throws a sloppy head kick and Benton moves out of range easily.
A head kick misses from Sobral.
Sobral pulls out of a head kick attempt.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Benton blocks a head kick by Sobral.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Benton.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Benton shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Benton showed some decent athleticism there.
Benton wants to pass the guard but Sobral is defending well.
Benton passes the guard and advances to mount!

Benton goes for an armbar but Sobral turns quickly into his guard - lovely anticipation from Sobral.

Sobral stands up and waves to Benton to follow him.
Sobral misses with the combination.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Benton shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Sobral but Sobral pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Gesias Sobral seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Sobral throws a sloppy head kick and Benton moves out of range easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Horrible takedown by Benton or perhaps it was just good defense by Sobral which made him look bad.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Sam Benton. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Sobral misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Sobral throws a head kick but Benton moves out of range.
Benton misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Sobral misses with a head kick.

That's four 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.
Benton takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Benton shoots in for a double leg but Sobral sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.

Benton fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Sobral sprawls well initially but Benton persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Benton wants to free his trapped foot but Sobral is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Sobral wants to get back to his feet.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Benton is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Sobral tries to kick Benton off but Benton keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Sam Benton will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Sobral gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Sobral is looking to stand up but Benton isn't so interested in that idea.
Benton trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Sobral is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Benton is controlling him.

Benton is holding a leg here, probably looking for an ankle lock - he drops back and goes for it! Sobral is in trouble! Is it all over??? No! Sobral has escaped and now he's on top!
Sobral wanted to stand there but Benton had control of the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Benton looking for a sweep. Not yet Benton, not yet.
Sobral really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Benton. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

Benton is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Benton keeping moving, preventing Sobral from controlling successfully.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Sobral stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Benton fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Benton.
Benton looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Sam Benton. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sobral tries to clinch up but Benton circles away and keeps his distance.

Benton shoots in for a takedown and gets it.

Sobral has one foot on Benton's thigh - he pushes off and manages to get back to his feet.
Benton avoids a punch combination nicely.
Benton shoots in and drives through. Sobral sprawls well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Benton shoots in but no luck this time.
Benton shoots in looking for a takedown. Sobral tries to sprawl out of it but Benton keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Sobral manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Gesias Sobral is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Sobral misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.

Benton closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Sobral is trying to stand up here but Benton is controlling him well.

Benton is working for an americana but Sobral has been sneaky and has managed to get back to half guard, whilst Benton was thinking about the submission.
Sobral is looking to stand up but Benton isn't so interested in that idea.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Sobral bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Benton's guard.

Sobral decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Benton, up you get!
Benton looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Benton.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Gesias Sobral will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Sobral misses with a head kick.
Sobral swinging wilding here.
Benton shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Sobral pinned against the cage. Sobral gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Both fighters are looking to counter, which isn't making for the most exciting fight in the world.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Benton fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sobral tries to bum rush Benton with a series of wild strikes but Benton uses good footwork to avoid the assault.

Benton drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.

Benton drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Benton jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Sobral is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Benton is controlling him.
Benton wants to pass the guard but Sobral is keeping the position.

Sobral pushes Benton off and scrambles back to his feet.

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

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sobral tries to kick Benton off but Benton keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Benton is thwarting Sobral's attempts to control the position.

Benton is trying to work for a kimura but Sobral is defending well.

Benton wants to work for an arm triangle but Sobral is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Sam Benton overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Sobral looks like he's trying to stand up.

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

Benton is trying to work for a kimura but Sobral is defending well.
Benton wants to pass the guard but Sobral is defending well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Benton is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Sobral is just riding it out for now. Benton eventually gives up the hold.

Benton is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.

Benton is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Sobral is trying to stand.
Benton is thwarting Sobral's attempts to control the position.

Sobral kicks Benton off and gets back to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Sobral throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Nice takedown defense from Sobral. No joy for Benton on that attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Sam Benton. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Benton will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Sobral throws a sloppy head kick and Benton moves out of range easily.
Benton shoots for a takedown but Sobral saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Benton fails to land the takedown.

And that's the end of the fight!
Sam Benton showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Benton has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Jack Bonds scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:28
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Sam Benton!
Sam Benton retains his middleweight title!