PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Josh Torres (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Joao Pires (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). I can't wait for this one - let's get the fighter introductions out of the way and get this one started!

Torres
vs
Pires

176 cm
20
154 lbs
4 - 3 - 0

177 cm
19
145 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

Powerful takedowns
Counter striker
Cardio machine

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Josh Torres!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Joao Pires!
The judges for this bout are Eliza Hachem, Damien Edna and Skip Squint.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Pires throws a right and a left that Torres avoids nicely.

Torres throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Pires tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Torres is in Pires's guard.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Pires being controlled here, momentarily.

Pires looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Torres is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.

Pires has his foot on Torres's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Torres works his way back into a safe position though.
Torres not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Torres landing some decent shots from guard.
Torres 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.
Torres is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Torres has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Torres is pushing down on Pires's leg trying to pass to half guard. Pires is fighting to maintain full guard but Torres has managed to sneak the leg through.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The fighters are battling for position here. Pires manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Torres stays in close to Pires's body and controls the position.

We're going to have a standup here because Josh Torres wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Pires misses with a two punch combination.
Torres throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Pires's waist but Pires gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Torres off to one side.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pires misses with a combination

and Torres counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Torres.
Torres not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Torres lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Pires is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Torres works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Torres controlling the action here.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

We're going to have a standup here because Josh Torres wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Pires throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Pires scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
No luck for Torres with that takedown attempt.
Pires swinging wildly here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Torres scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Pires being controlled for a moment.

The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Torres tries for a kimura but Pires is defending well.
Torres content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Torres's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

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

Pires has his foot on Torres's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Torres works his way back into a safe position though.
Torres showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.

Josh Torres has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Pires.

Torres darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Pires trying to control but Torres postures up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Torres is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Torres content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Pires tries to roll over but Torres keeps him under control.

Pires looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Pires is breathing heavily.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
Josh Torres overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

Pires looking for submissions off his back.
Torres lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Torres sitting and controlling from the half guard.

Pires actively working from the bottom here.
Torres trying to control the pace.
Torres scoring with strikes to the body and head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Torres controlling the pace.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Pires looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Torres controlling the action here.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Josh Torres just wasn't active enough.

Torres scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Torres content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.
Pires is looking to regain half guard here but Torres keeps moving and retains side control.
A bit of a lull in the action. I'm sure it will pick up again soon... even if the ref has to physically pick them up and put them back on their feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Torres lands a decent elbow from side control.
Torres staying calm.
Pires tries to improve position but can't.
Torres content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

We're going to have a standup here because Josh Torres wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Torres checks a low kick from Pires.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Josh Torres dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Torres misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Pires misses with a two punch combination.
Torres shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Pires but Pires pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Torres is trying hard to land a takedown here. Pires sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Josh Torres. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Pires gets caught napping as Torres dives in and scores a takedown. Pires manages to retain guard.
Torres controls from within his opponent's guard.
Torres passes easily into side control. Nice work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Torres controls the position.
Torres scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Pires to see if he's OK.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
Pires is looking for a sweep.
Pires takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.
Pires tries to bench press Torres off him but Torres keeps the position.
Pires takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Pires manages to work his way to half guard, despite Torres's best efforts.
Torres lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Torres looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Josh Torres.

Torres is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Pires's half guard.
Torres stalling.
Torres lands with a punch from half guard.
Torres slows the pace down in half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Josh Torres wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Pires throws a series of punches but Torres avoids them all with ease.
Pires displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Pires throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Josh Torres is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Torres shoots in but no luck this time.
Torres fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Pires throws a nice inside leg kick.

Torres feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.

Pires throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Torres sitting in guard here, content to control.
Joao Pires has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

And that's the end of the fight!
Josh Torres showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Torres, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Eliza Hachem scores the fight 30:27
Judge Damien Edna scores the fight 30:27
Judge Skip Squint scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Josh Torres!