PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Diego Rios (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and James Kelly (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rios comes to the cage accompanied by Forever. Well, I have no idea who's going to take this one!

Rios
vs
Kelly

200 cm
30
155 lbs
10 - 8 - 0

179 cm
26
155 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Prefers standup

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Diego Rios!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, James Kelly!
The judges for this bout are Frank Antenori, Don Winkell and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kelly tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Kelly takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Kelly with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Rios fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Kelly manages to avoid it.
A punch combination from Rios misses.
Rios throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Sloppy strikes from Rios. Those never looked like landing.

Kelly pushes Rios up against the cage in a clinch.

Kelly pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Kelly takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Rios will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

Rios tries to keep at a distance but Kelly has taken the fight into the clinch.
Rios really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Rios gets underhooks to prevent Kelly's takedown attempt.
Rios wants to get back to striking at distance but Kelly won't allow it.

Rios pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Kelly throws a head kick that looked like it stung.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rios throws a head kick but Kelly moves out of range.
Diego Rios seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Rios tests Kelly's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Rios looks to land a combination but Kelly avoids it well.
Rios swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Rios is looking to break free of the clinch but Kelly has double underhooks.

Rios pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Rios misses with the combination.
Rios swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Kelly is looking to clinch.
Rios misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Rios blocks a head kick by Kelly.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Kelly closes the distance and pushes Rios back into the cage.

Rios breaks the clinch.
Rios throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Kelly counters with a body kick.
Rios lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Kelly circles away quickly and effectively.
Kelly tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Rios paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Rios lands a head shot.
Kelly uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Rios.
Rios is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
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!

Kelly has closed the distance and engaged Rios in a clinch.
Rios is trying to force a seperation but Kelly has the dominant position.

Kelly breaks from the clinch.
Rios scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Rios cracks Kelly with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Rios misses with a wild combination.
Kelly tries to clinch up but Rios circles away and keeps his distance.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rios will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Kelly takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Rios misses with a wild combination.
Rios misses with the combination.
Kelly wants to clinch.
Kelly tries to bum rush Rios with a series of wild strikes but Rios uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Rios scores with a sloppy right hand. Kelly should have avoided that one.
Rios is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Kelly has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Rios finds it's way round the side to connect with Kelly's head.
Rios misses with a series of wild punches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A punch combination from Rios misses.
Rios throws a front kick that sends Kelly stumbling back into the cage.
Rios throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Kelly counters with a nice leg kick.
Some wild striking there from Rios.
Rios is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Rios scores with a jab to the body.
Rios misses with a double jab.
Rios takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
A head kick misses from Kelly.
Rios lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Kelly circles away quickly and effectively.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kelly takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Rios misses with a series of wild punches.
Kelly has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Rios finds it's way round the side to connect with Kelly's head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Diego Rios dominated that round.
That's time! Rios's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Rios misses with a series of wild punches.
Kelly goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Rios throws a head kick that misses.
Rios misses with a series of wild punches.
Kelly throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Kelly throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Rios lands with a shot to the body.
Rios misses with a wild combination.
Rios misses with a wild combination.
Rios swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Rios misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Kelly.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rios comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Rios keeps the fight on the outside.
Diego Rios is winning the standup battle so far.

Rios gets tackled into the cage by Kelly. Kelly maintains the clinch.

Rios breaks the clinch.
Rios misses with a few strikes there.
Rios paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Rios bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Rios throws a series of punches but Kelly avoids them all with ease.
Kelly tries to clinch but Rios moves out of range.
Rios is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Rios jabs Kelly to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Kelly takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Kelly avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Rios thuds a left hand into Kelly's body.
A right-left combo lands from Kelly.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Kelly moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Kelly tries to clinch there but Rios circles away.
Rios throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
The fight stays on the outside here - Kelly looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Rios lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Rios throws a nice looking combination but Kelly bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Rios tries a head kick but it misses.
Kelly avoids the head kick by Rios.
Kelly throws a head kick that misses.
Kelly pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Rios misses with an uppercut.
Kelly throws a head kick but Rios moves out of range.
Rios ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Diego Rios is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rios throws a combination that misses
and Kelly counters with a straight right hand.
Rios swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Kelly counters with a left to the body.
Rios throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Kelly ducks under a wild hook from Rios.
Rios tries to bum rush Kelly with a series of wild strikes but Kelly uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Kelly takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Rios pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
A head kick misses from Kelly.
Rios fails to land with a series of punches.
Rios avoids the head kick by Kelly.
Kelly tries to close the distance and clinch but Rios swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Rios fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Kelly moves in looking to clinch but Rios pushes him off.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kelly dodges the punch combination from Rios.
Rios is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Rios throws a series of punches but Kelly avoids them all with ease.

Kelly has Rios up against the cage in a clinch.
Kelly scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Kelly wants a takedown but no success here.
Rios wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Rios is trying to break the clinch but Kelly has him pressed against the cage.

Kelly breaks from the clinch.
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!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Rios fails to land with a series of punches.
Rios misses the shot to the body.
Kelly tries to clinch but Rios moves out of range.
Kelly closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
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 Diego Rios will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Rios looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Kelly on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Nice jab there from Rios.
Rios on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Rios misses with a double jab.
Rios swinging wildly here.
Kelly throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Rios lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Kelly wants to clinch.
Kelly tries to close the distance and clinch but Rios swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Rios uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kelly defending well as Rios loads up on a big left hand.
Rios throws a shot to the body.
A punch lands to the side of Kelly 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Rios throws a chopping leg kick but Kelly manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
A looping hook to the body misses from Rios. Kelly does a little dance to reset his feet.
Rios goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Rios lands a jab to the nose.
Rios throws a series of punches but Kelly avoids them all with ease.
Rios bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Kelly's head backwards.
Rios slips under a jab.
A head kick misses from Kelly.
Kelly takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Rios scores with a jab to the jaw.
Rios throws a head kick that misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rios showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Kelly.

Kelly has taken the fight to the clinch.

Kelly manages to break the clinch.
Kelly looking to land some kicks to the body here.

Kelly clinches up with Rios and pushes him back against the cage.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Kelly's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Kelly avoids a punch combination nicely.
Kelly misses with a head kick.
Rios lands a body shot.
Rios lands a jab-cross combination.
Rios misses with a series of wild punches.
Rios throws a combination that misses
and Kelly counters with a body kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Kelly has taken the fight to the clinch.

Kelly manages to break the clinch.
Kelly tries a head kick but it misses.
Rios throws the left hand but Kelly avoids the punch easily.
Rios throws a right hand that Kelly ducks under and follows up with a left that Kelly also avoids with ease.
Kelly avoids a punch combination nicely.
James Kelly has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Rios misses with a combination
and Kelly counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Rios is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Rios throws a hook but Kelly avoids it easily.
Kelly tries to clinch but Rios moves out of range.

Kelly clinches.
Rios looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Kelly is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rios is trying to break the clinch but Kelly has him pressed against the cage.
Kelly pressing his opponent against the cage.

Kelly breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Decent striking displayed by Rios there.
Rios fails to land with a series of punches.
Kelly dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Rios cracks Kelly with a good jab.
Kelly misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Rios on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Some wild striking there from Rios.
Kelly tries to clinch up but Rios circles away and keeps his distance.

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 Diego Rios.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Rios, 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 Frank Antenori scores the fight 30:27
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Diego Rios!
A relieved looking Diego Rios thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.