PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Marcelinho Garcia (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mehmet Sable (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Marcelinho Garcia has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Garcia
vs
Sable

184 cm
25
268 lbs
13 - 6 - 0

210 cm
21
281 lbs
8 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Decent wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Perkele!
Perkele!

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 13 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Marcelinho Garcia!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Mehmet Sable!
The judges for this bout are Ben Zyskovitsi, Roosa Järviläinen and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Garcia shoots in looking for a takedown. Sable tries to sprawl out of it but Garcia keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Sable manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Sable keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Garcia ducks under a wild hook from Sable.
Sable with a jab.
Sable leaves Garcia with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Marcelinho Garcia. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Sable takes a swing at Garcia's ribcage but misses.
Garcia misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Sable.

Garcia closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Garcia trying to control from Sable's half guard. Sable has other ideas though and has regained full guard.
Garcia sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Garcia wants to control from the top but Sable keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Garcia missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Garcia wants to pass the guard but Sable is keeping the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Garcia is looking to work some ground and pound but Sable has wrist control.
Sable is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Sable preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Garcia throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Sable preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Garcia's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Garcia with a flurry of punches that miss.
Garcia slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Garcia in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
Garcia postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Sable stops Garcia from passing to mount.
Sable wants to control but Garcia postures up.
The strikes coming from Garcia are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
The referee asks Garcia politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Garcia prefers to stall for the moment though.
Sable is looking for a sweep.
Sable is letting Garcia control him for a moment.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Sable tries to buck Garcia off but Garcia is having none of it.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Sable can do anything to dispel that myth.
Sable is not content to let Garcia control the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Sable's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

Garcia wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Sable, who protects the arm well.
Sable being controlled for a moment.

Garcia thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Garcia has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Check out the look on Garcia's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Garcia looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Garcia works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
Sable avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Garcia.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Garcia is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Sable is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Garcia wants to control but Sable is keeping him busy.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marcelinho Garcia dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Garcia shoots in looking for a takedown. Sable tries to sprawl out of it but Garcia keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Sable manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Sable chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Garcia swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Garcia gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Sable.
Garcia walks into a stiff left hand from Sable.
Garcia shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Sable defends it nicely.
Sable looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Sable tests Garcia's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Garcia tries to score a power double leg takedown but Sable sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Garcia somewhat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Marcelinho Garcia. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Garcia drives through with a takedown into Sable's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Sable has control of Garcia's left arm, preventing Garcia from doing any damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Garcia postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Garcia throwing strikes from guard but Sable blocks nicely.
Garcia working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Garcia postures up in Sable's guard and throws a big left but Sable blocks it.
Garcia wants to control from the top but Sable keeps moving.
Garcia stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Sable swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Sable keeping moving, preventing Garcia from controlling successfully.
Sable looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Garcia postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Garcia trying to control the position from guard on top but Sable is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Sable is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Garcia might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Garcia slips nicely into half guard.
Garcia is looking to stall here but Sable recovers full guard.
Garcia scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Garcia wants to control from the top but Sable keeps moving.
Garcia postures up in Sable's guard and throws a big left but Sable blocks it.
Sable is controlling Garcia's posture.
Garcia wants to control from the top but Sable keeps moving.
Sable really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Garcia. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Garcia throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Sable keeping full guard, as Garcia tries to pass.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Sable is on top in guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Garcia holds on and takes a little breather.
Garcia looking for a sweep. Not yet Garcia, not yet.
Sable postures up.
Garcia seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

Marcelinho Garcia has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Garcia takes one on the button.
Garcia ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Sable moves away.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Garcia misses with a takedown attempt - Sable sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Garcia has a takedown stuffed.
Sable avoids the body shot from Garcia.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Mehmet Sable will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Garcia shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Sable but Sable pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Garcia takes a swing at Sable's ribcage but misses.
Garcia shoots in for a takedown but Sable shows good takedown defense.
Sable has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Sable tries a head kick but it misses.
Garcia fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Sable avoids it really well and circles away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Marcelinho Garcia. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Garcia drives through with a takedown into Sable's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Sable controls Garcia momentarily but Garcia frees himself.
Sable keeping moving, preventing Garcia from controlling successfully.
Sable working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Garcia.
Sable trying to keep a closed guard but Garcia is proving a slippery customer.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Garcia looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Sable preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Garcia postures up.
Garcia tries to free his leg and advance position but Sable is retaining full guard.
Garcia wants to control from the top but Sable keeps moving.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Garcia throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Sable uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Garcia.
Marcelinho Garcia seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Horrible takedown by Garcia or perhaps it was just good defense by Sable which made him look bad.
Both fighters circling a little - Sable finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Garcia takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Sable keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Sable lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sable throws a series of punches but Garcia avoids them all with ease.
Sable throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.

It looks like Marcelinho Garcia has been cut.
Sable lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Sable lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Garcia backs up against the cage.
Nice uppercut there from Sable.

Garcia is rocked!
Sable steps into range and unloads a brutal right left combo! Garcia is out on his feet! Sable sets himself and nearly takes Garcia's head off with a straight right, sending him crashing to the mat! Wow, that was nasty... but awesome! Wooo!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:40 of round 3, we have a winner by way of KO (Strikes). Mehmet Sable!