PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Justin Meredith (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Romeo Da Silva (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Meredith's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, The Rolling Stones - Paint it, Black. Da Silva is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It?. 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.

Meredith
vs
Da Silva

175 cm
22
200 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

187 cm
23
195 lbs
6 - 3 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Decent elbows
Cardio machine

BJJ Purple Belt
Dangerous knees
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Justin Meredith!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 3 - 0, fighting out of London, Romeo Da Silva!
The judges for this bout are Richard Clark, Andrew Berry and James Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Da Silva moves in looking to clinch but Meredith pushes him off.
Da Silva lands a head kick!
Meredith throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Meredith paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Da Silva tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Meredith misses with a left hand
and Da Silva counters with a head kick. That will keep Meredith thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Meredith has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Da Silva.
Da Silva wants to slow Meredith down by chopping away at his legs.
Meredith misses with a hook
and Da Silva counters with a leg kick.
Meredith tries to close the distance and clinch but Da Silva swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Meredith tests Da Silva's chin there with a solid looking shot.

Da Silva clinches up against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Da Silva throws a punch but it's blocked by Meredith.
Meredith is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Da Silva is defending well for now.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Meredith lands a right hand.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Meredith trying to land knees to the body.
Meredith being controlled against the cage.
Da Silva trying to land knees to the body.
Da Silva is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Meredith is defending well for now.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Meredith.
Meredith throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Da Silva blocks it with crossed arms.
Da Silva tries a knee to the head but he's missed.

Meredith jumps into guard, dragging Da Silva to the mat.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Da Silva tries to stand but Meredith is controlling from the bottom.
Da Silva seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Meredith looking for a sweep. Not yet Meredith, not yet.

Da Silva stands up and waves to Meredith to follow him.
Meredith scores with a jab to the head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Meredith misses with a jab, cross combination.

Meredith clinches up against the cage.
Meredith stalls.
Meredith throws an elbow that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Meredith throws an elbow but it's blocked.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Da Silva lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Da Silva using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Meredith has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Da Silva tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Da Silva is trying to stall.
Da Silva dodges an elbow strike from Meredith.
Meredith avoiding damage as Da Silva throws knees to the body.
Da Silva misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Meredith.
Meredith creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Da Silva's defenses.
The referee is keeping an eye on Da Silva - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.

Da Silva breaks from the clinch.
Meredith steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Da Silva.
Da Silva wants to clinch.
Meredith misses with an uppercut. Da Silva saw that one coming.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Meredith misses with a hook. Da Silva ducked under it nicely.
Meredith throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Meredith takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Justin Meredith seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A bone on bone clash there as Da Silva blocks the leg kick.
Da Silva doesn't manage to clinch there - Meredith circles away.
A nice inside leg kick there by Meredith. That's going to slow Da Silva down.
Da Silva wants to clinch up but Meredith keeps it at a distance.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Meredith misses with a left hand
and Da Silva cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Da Silva misses with a hook. Meredith ducked under it nicely.
Meredith misses with an uppercut. Da Silva saw that one coming.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Romeo Da Silva will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Meredith misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Da Silva.
Meredith swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Da Silva wants to clinch up but Meredith keeps it at a distance.

Meredith clinches.
Da Silva misses with a knee strike.
A knee to the head by Da Silva.
A right handed body shot lands from Da Silva.
Meredith throws an elbow but it misses.
Da Silva is looking to control Meredith's arms but Meredith gets an underhook and turns him. Now Da Silva has his back to the cage.
Meredith pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Da Silva is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Meredith is defending well for now.

Meredith jumps guard and drags Da Silva to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Da Silva trying to control the position from guard on top but Meredith is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Da Silva won't allow Meredith to sweep him here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Da Silva pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Meredith is keeping the position for now.
Da Silva wants to control from the top but Meredith keeps moving.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Romeo Da Silva wasn't active enough on the ground.
Meredith throws a jab but it's blocked by Da Silva.
Da Silva fails with an attempt to clinch.
Da Silva tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Meredith thumps Da Silva with a low kick.
Meredith keeps the fight on the outside.
Da Silva throws a wild body kick that Meredith sees coming a mile off.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Meredith chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Meredith throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Da Silva on the side of the head.
Meredith throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Da Silva scores with a hook.
Meredith swats away the attempt to clinch by Da Silva.
Meredith is looking to clinch but Da Silva is avoiding it.
Meredith misses with a hook.
Meredith scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Da Silva tries to clinch up but Meredith circles away and keeps his distance.
Meredith is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Da Silva.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Da Silva looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Da Silva connects with a single shot there.
Da Silva moves out of range as Meredith strikes.
Meredith checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Da Silva closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Meredith fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Meredith misses with a hook. Da Silva ducked under it nicely.
Romeo Da Silva is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Meredith shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Da Silva as he avoids it easily.
Da Silva throws a leg kick but Meredith sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Da Silva goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Da Silva wants to clinch but Meredith slips to the side
and Meredith counters with a left and a right that stings Da Silva.
Justin Meredith is winning the standup battle so far.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Meredith throws an ugly left hook that misses

and Da Silva counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Da Silva.
Meredith misses with an elbow strike.
A hook to the body from Da Silva.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Da Silva connects with a knee to the head.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Da Silva throws a knee to the head but misses.
Da Silva misses with a knee to the head.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Stalling in the clinch from Meredith.
Romeo Da Silva seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Da Silva using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Meredith has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Meredith gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Meredith trying to land knees to the body.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Da Silva trying to control the position but instead, Meredith has worked for underhooks and has pushed Da Silva into the cage.
Da Silva scores with a knee to the head.
Da Silva throws a knee to the head but misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Justin Meredith will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

The fight stays on the outside here - Da Silva looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Da Silva pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Da Silva lands a head kick. Meredith smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Da Silva throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Da Silva thows a left - swing and a miss!
Meredith throws a jab when Da Silva was well out of range.
Da Silva swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Da Silva scores with a leg kick.
Da Silva is looking to clinch.
Da Silva moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Meredith looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Da Silva tries to keep at a distance but Meredith has taken the fight into the clinch.
Da Silva lands a hook to the side of the head.
Da Silva misses with a hook from the clinch.
Meredith fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Meredith lands a damaging elbow.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Da Silva obliges.
Meredith trying to stall but Da Silva improves his position.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Knees in the clinch landing for Meredith.
Meredith missing with knees to the body.
Meredith throws an elbow but it misses.
Da Silva is defending well against a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Justin Meredith. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nice elbow from Meredith.
Da Silva tries a knee to the head but Meredith blocks it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Meredith tries to land knees in the clinch but Da Silva avoids the damage to the body.
Meredith throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Da Silva blocks it with crossed arms.
Da Silva throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Meredith misses with an elbow strike.
Stalling in the clinch from Da Silva.
Da Silva gets underhooks to prevent Meredith's takedown attempt.
Knees to the body from Da Silva.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Da Silva.
A head punch on the inside from Meredith fails to land.
Da Silva lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Da Silva putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Meredith in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Da Silva throws a knee to the head but misses.
Da Silva taking a breather.
Da Silva with an attempt at a knee that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Meredith stalls.
Da Silva looking to throw knees to the head but Meredith is blocking nicely.
Meredith misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Da Silva.
Da Silva looking to throw knees to the head but Meredith is blocking nicely.
Meredith lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Meredith landing knees to the body.
Da Silva missing with knees to the body.
Da Silva scores with a hook to the body.
Da Silva takes an elbow to the temple.
Da Silva throws a knee to the head but misses.
Meredith trying to land knees to the body.
Meredith leaning his opponent against the cage.
Meredith is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Da Silva is keeping busy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Da Silva looking to throw knees to the head but Meredith is blocking nicely.
Meredith fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Meredith creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Da Silva's defenses.
A knee to the head by Da Silva.
Da Silva dodges an elbow strike from Meredith.
Meredith tries to stall but Da Silva uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Da Silva throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Merediths head.
Meredith pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Da Silva obliges.
Meredith tries to score a body lock takedown but Da Silva shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Da Silva avoids a wild elbow strike from Meredith.
Meredith creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Da Silva's defenses.
Meredith throws an elbow but it misses.
Da Silva with a knee to the head.
Meredith looking to stall.

And that's the end of the fight!
Romeo Da Silva comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Da Silva 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 Richard Clark scores the fight 27:30
Judge Andrew Berry scores the fight 29:30
Judge James Glass scores the fight 29:30

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