PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Macmac Castro (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Raphael Stone (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Raphael Stone acknowledges the crowd's support as he enters the cage.

Castro
vs
Stone

180 cm
18
170 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

180 cm
23
171 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Big heart

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Solid chin

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Macmac Castro!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Raphael Stone!
The judges for this bout are Frank Antenori, Don Winkell and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Castro tries to clinch up but Stone circles away and keeps his distance.
Stone looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Stone wants to clinch up but Castro keeps it at a distance.
Castro misses with a kick to the body.

Stone darts in and clinches Castro up against the cage.
Stone is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Castro tries to pull guard but Stone holds him up against the cage and eventually Castro drops back down to his feet.

Castro pulls Stone into guard.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Castro looking for a sweep. Not yet Castro, not yet.
Stone trying to control but Castro is working from the bottom.
Castro controls Stone momentarily but Stone frees himself.
Castro has Stone pulled in close to control his posture.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Castro has a closed guard, preventing Stone from standing up.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Castro shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Stone tries to close the distance and clinch but Castro swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Castro tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Stone paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Stone tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Castro counters by clinching up.
Castro drops down looking for an ankle pick but Stone pulls his leg out and moves away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Macmac Castro. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Stone throws a push kick but Castro slaps the foot to one side.
Stone misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Castro tries to clinch up but Stone circles away and keeps his distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Castro gets tackled into the cage by Stone. Stone maintains the clinch.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Castro.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Stone as Castro tries to tie him up.
Stone jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Castro walks away with a smile on his face. Stone gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Stone shoots for a takedown but Castro saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Castro circles away from the clinch attempt

and Castro counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Stone working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Castro.
Castro content to stall in guard here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Castro pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Stone is keeping the position for now.
Castro looking to sit in guard and control but Stone gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Stone trying to control the position from guard on top but Castro is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Castro bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Stone's guard.
Stone has control of Castro's left arm, preventing Castro from doing any damage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stone wants to sweep but no luck.
Castro loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Stone is trying to control the position from the bottom.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

Stone is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Castro defends well.
Castro trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Castro distracts Stone with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Macmac Castro dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

A shot to the body from Castro misses
and Stone counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Stone uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Castro.
Stone shoots in for a takedown but Castro shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Castro throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Stone's waist but Stone gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Castro off to one side.
Stone closes this distance looking for a takedown but Castro circles away.
Castro fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Castro displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Stone.
Macmac Castro has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Raphael Stone.
Stone lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Castro is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Stone clinches.
Stone throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Castro blocks it with crossed arms.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Stone tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Castro's elbow.

Castro pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Stone wants to clinch.
Stone lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Stone bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Stone stuffs the takedown.
Stone closes the distance and clinches up with Castro, looking for a takedown. Stone pushes Castro against the cage but Castro circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Stone stuffs the takedown attempt from Castro. Castro gets slowly back to his feet.
Castro tries to close the distance and clinch up but Stone swats him away and circles back towards the center.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stone shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Castro but Castro pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Stone is breathing heavily.

Stone closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Stone tries to throw a body punch but Castro avoids it by throwing Stone back against the cage.
Castro is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.

Castro jumps into guard, dragging Stone to the mat.
Castro on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Castro tries to get out of the position.
Stone controlling from the top position.
Stone trying to control the position from guard on top but Castro is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Castro looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Stone trying to control but Castro is working from the bottom.

Raphael Stone has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Good work by Stone as he checks the leg kick.
Stone shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Castro sprawls well. Castro wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Stone gets slowly back to his feet.
Stone fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Macmac Castro is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Stone closes this distance looking for a takedown but Castro circles away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stone defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Castro.
Stone throws a series of punches but Castro moves out of range.
Castro tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Castro shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Stone but Stone pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Raphael Stone seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Castro takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.

Stone rushes Castro and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Stone has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Castro is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Stone tries to pull guard but Castro forces him back to his feet, against the cage.

Castro turns his hips and lands a very nice judo throw into side control!
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Stone is looking to regain half guard here but Castro keeps moving and retains side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Raphael Stone showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Castro's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Stone shoots in for a takedown but Castro shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Stone misses with a low kick as Castro jumps back.

Castro darts in and clinches Stone up against the cage.
Castro missing with knees to the body.
Castro looking for a takedown.
Stone can't break the clinch.
Castro tries to pull guard but Stone forces him back to his feet, against the cage.

Stone has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Castro uses from the top position.
Stone is trying to keep Castro in close.
Castro stays in close to Stone's body and controls the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stone keeping moving, preventing Castro from controlling successfully.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Stone manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Stone avoids the attempt from Castro to control.

Stone goes for an armbar but he's not got it… Castro turns into him and now he's in Stone's guard.
Stone takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Stone has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stone wants to stand up but Castro is controlling him.
Stone wants to sweep but no luck.
Castro trying to control but Stone is working from the bottom.

We're going to have a standup here because Macmac Castro wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
No luck for Castro with that takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Macmac Castro. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stone lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Stone tries to close the distance and clinch but Castro swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Stone tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Castro manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

Castro changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Stone looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Castro looks up at the clock and then as Stone takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Castro smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Castro remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.
A bit of a lull in the action here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stone is looking for a sweep.
Castro with the ground and pound but Stone regains half guard under the barage of strikes.
Stone is looking to control Castro's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Stone avoid being mounted?
Macmac Castro overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Castro not doing much here.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Castro is trying to control the action in half guard but Stone is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Macmac Castro.
I think Castro 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 Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:29
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 29:29
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 29:28

The fight is ruled a majority draw!