PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Thiago Santos (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Thiago Silva (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). 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.

Santos
vs
Silva

177 cm
25
175 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

190 cm
26
175 lbs
4 - 4 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Dangerous knees
Granite chin

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Knockout power

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Thiago Santos!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Thiago Silva!
The judges for this bout are Paulsen Ambrosius, Wagner Zegers and Daniel Blasius.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice straight punches there by Silva. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Silva.
Santos blocks a head kick by Silva.
Santos wants to clinch but Silva slips to the side
and Santos takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Santos wants to clinch but Silva slips to the side
and Silva counters with a head kick.
Silva scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Silva throws a leg kick
and Santos counters with a thumping low kick.
Santos closes the distance looking to clinch
and Silva counters with an inside leg kick.
Silva cracks the inside of Santos's front leg.
Silva tries a low kick but Santos avoids it.
Silva pulls out of a head kick attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Santos will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Thiago Silva is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Santos closes the distance looking to clinch
and Silva counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Santos is lucky that one didn't land flush.
A jab from Santos misses.
Santos tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Silva swivels and escapes.
Silva misses with a leg kick
enabling Santos to counter with a crisp jab.
Santos closes the distance looking to clinch
and Silva makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Silva thows a leg kick but Santos checks it
and Santos counters with a nice leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Santos shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Silva as he avoids it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Thiago Santos. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Santos checks a low kick from Silva.
Silva misses with a leg kick
and Santos counters with a leg kick.
Silva throws a head kick that half lands.
Silva throws a lazy head kick
and Santos counters with a thumping low kick.
A low kick from Silva misses
and Santos counters with a slapping leg kick.
Silva throws a leg kick but Santos sees it coming and moves out of range.
Silva blocks a jab.
Silva throws a head kick that misses.
Santos tries to clinch up
and Silva counters with a low kick, right behind Santos 's knee.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Silva misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Thiago Silva seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Santos tries to clinch but Silva moves away
and Silva counters with an inside leg kick.
Santos misses the jab.
Silva thows a leg kick but Santos checks it
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Santos tries to clinch
and Silva counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Silva bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Santos tries to clinch up
and Silva counters with a big head kick but Santos shrugs it off.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Silva throws a leg kick that is checked
and Santos counters with a nice kick to the body.
Santos darts in trying to clinch
and Silva counters with a head kick.
Santos throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Santos stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Silva.
A low kick from Silva is predictable there
and Santos finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Silva thows a leg kick but Santos checks it
and Santos counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Silva is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Santos closes the distance looking to clinch
and Silva counters with a head kick. That will keep Santos thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Thiago Silva will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Santos throws a head kick that misses.
Santos tries to clinch up
and Silva counters with a head kick. That will keep Santos thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Santos tries to clinch up
and Silva counters with a nice low kick that buckles Santos's knee momentarily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Santos tries to clinch but Silva moves away
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Santos is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Santos wants to clinch
and Silva counters with a low kick, right behind Santos 's knee.
Santos wants to clinch
and Silva counters with an inside leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Silva misses with a leg kick
and Santos makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Silva really felt that one!
Santos tries to clinch but Silva moves away
and Silva counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Santos is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Silva fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Santos has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Santos tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Silva swivels and escapes.
Silva misses with a kick to the body.
Santos closes the distance looking to clinch
and Silva counters with a head kick.
Silva pivots, looking for a leg kick but Santos is out of range and Silva settles back down.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Silva thows a leg kick but Santos checks it

and Santos counters by moving into the clinch.
Silva lands an elbow inside.
Santos is trying to stall.
Santos throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Santos has had enough of the clinch but Silva keeps him there for the moment.
Silva dodges an elbow strike from Santos.
Silva gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Santos.
Santos takes an elbow to the forehead.
Santos takes an elbow to the forehead.
Santos tries a knee to the head but he's missed.

Silva breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Santos darts in trying to clinch
and Silva counters with a thumping low kick.
Santos on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Silva. Silva obviously looking to wear him down.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Silva throws a sloppy head kick and Santos moves out of range easily.
Good leg kick by Silva there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Santos wants to clinch but Silva slips to the side
and Silva counters with a head kick. That will keep Santos thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Silva throws a leg kick
and Santos counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Santos misses with a takedown attempt - Silva sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Thiago Santos. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Santos fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Silva throws a head kick that misses
and Santos counters with a head kick.
Santos closes the distance looking to clinch
and Silva makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Santos really felt that one!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Santos looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Santos throws a lazy uppercut
and Silva counters with a low kick, right behind Santos 's knee.
Silva cracks the inside of Santos's front leg.
Santos throws a leg kick
and Silva counters with a low kick, right behind Santos 's knee.
Silva connects with a solid leg kick.
Silva throws a leg kick

and Santos counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Santos.
Santos blocks an elbow strike from Silva.

Silva breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Santos closes the distance but Silva moves to the side
and Silva counters with a slapping leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thiago Silva showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Santos moves to clinch but Silva breaks away
and Silva counters with a nice low kick that buckles Santos's knee momentarily.
Santos misses with a combination
and Silva counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Santos darts in trying to clinch
and Silva counters with a good low kick that Santos was not able to check.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Silva throws a leg kick but Santos checks it.
Silva throws a leg kick that is checked
and Santos counters with a nice leg kick.
Santos closes the distance looking to clinch
and Silva counters with a slapping leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Silva lands a head kick!
Santos tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Silva counters with an inside leg kick.
Santos tries to clinch but Silva moves away
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
A low kick from Silva is predictable there
and Santos counters with a nice low kick that buckles Silva's knee momentarily.
Silva thuds his shin into the meat of Santos's side.
Santos tries to clinch up
and Silva counters with a good low kick that Santos was not able to check.
Thiago Santos has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Silva tried to score with a low kick but Santos checks it.
Santos wants to clinch but Silva slips to the side
and Silva counters with a nice low kick that buckles Santos's knee momentarily.
Santos wants to clinch but Silva slips to the side
and Silva counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Silva misses with a leg kick
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
A head kick by Silva misses
and Santos counters with a one-two to the body.
Santos tries to clinch up
and Silva counters with a head kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Silva throws a leg kick
and Santos counters with an outside leg kick.
Santos tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Silva counters with a good low kick that Santos was not able to check.
Silva throws a leg kick
and Santos counters with a nice leg kick.
Santos tries to clinch but Silva moves away
and Silva counters with a nice leg kick.
Santos closes the distance but Silva moves to the side
and Silva counters with a slapping leg kick.
Santos looks to throw a body kick
and Silva counters with a good low kick that Santos was not able to check.
Silva pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Silva throws a leg kick that is checked
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Santos tries to clinch
and Silva counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Silva walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Santos checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Santos moves to clinch but Silva breaks away
and Silva counters with a nice low kick that buckles Santos's knee momentarily.
Silva thumps Santos with a low kick.
Santos closes the distance looking to clinch
and Silva counters with a good low kick that Santos was not able to check.
Silva circles away from the clinch attempt
and Silva counters with an outside leg kick.

And that's the end of the fight!
Thiago Silva comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Silva winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Wagner Zegers scores the fight 27:30
Judge Daniel Blasius scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Thiago Silva!