PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Charles Cheng (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rafael Martinez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Martinez's choice of entrance music: Juicy. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Cheng
vs
Martinez

196 cm
31
212 lbs
17 - 5 - 0

196 cm
26
223 lbs
11 - 4 - 1

Good takedowns
Decent elbows
Granite chin

ADCC Champion
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 17 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Charles Cheng!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 4 - 1, fighting out of St Petersburg, Rafael Martinez!
The judges for this bout are Johanna Lukiainen, Roosa Järviläinen and Ben Zyskovitsi.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Martinez throws a right and a left that both miss.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Cheng.
Cheng bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Cheng takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
A jab from Martinez finds it's way through Cheng's defenses.
Cheng comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Martinez connects with the punch.
Cheng keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Martinez.
Cheng looks to throw the jab but Martinez is out of range.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Martinez feints a jab promting Cheng to slip. Martinez then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Cheng slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Martinez moves out of range of the leg kick from Cheng.
Martinez fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Martinez jabbing away but nothing is landing.

Martinez has Cheng up against the cage in a clinch.
Martinez throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Chengs head.

Cheng breaks from the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Martinez misses with a jab, cross combination.
Martinez goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Jab from Martinez.
Cheng ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Martinez moves away.
Nice sprawl there from Cheng as Martinez shoots in.
Rafael Martinez seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Cheng throws a solid leg kick but Martinez takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Cheng.
Martinez looks to land a right hand but Cheng moved out of range.
Cheng takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Martinez throws an off balance right hand
and Cheng counters with a thumping low kick.
Nice shot lands for Martinez.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Martinez feints and as Cheng raises his hands in defense, Martinez changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Cheng is looking for a triangle but Martinez pushes his legs off easily.
Martinez looking to pass the guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Martinez with a flurry of punches that miss.

Martinez has gone for a leg lock! Cheng slips out almost immediately though and dives into Martinez's guard.

Cheng avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

Cheng avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Cheng throws a big elbow that misses.
Cheng throwing strikes from guard but Martinez blocks nicely.
Cheng postures up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Martinez is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.

Martinez has his foot on Cheng's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Cheng works his way back into a safe position though.

Cheng avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Cheng trying to control the position from guard on top but Martinez is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Martinez is trying to keep Cheng in close.
Cheng has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

Martinez has his foot on Cheng's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Cheng works his way back into a safe position though.
Cheng trying to control the position from guard on top but Martinez is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Cheng wants to get up but he can't break Martinez's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Martinez looks to be working for a triangle here. Oh, it looks like he might have it! Cheng has picked Martinez up and slammed him! Martinez can't keep hold of the triangle and Cheng manages to pass to side control!
Martinez tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Cheng wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Martinez taking a bit of punishment here - Cheng scoring with strikes.
Martinez is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
Cheng in side control, throwing shots but Martinez defends.
Martinez wants to get back to his feet.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Cheng working the ground and pound but Martinez is defending the strikes.
Martinez is trying to improve his position.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Martinez takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.
Martinez takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Cheng working away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rafael Martinez dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Martinez shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Cheng as he jumps to the side.
Cheng lands a head kick. Martinez smiles back at him and beckons him forward.

It looks like Rafael Martinez has been cut.
Martinez throws a right and a left that both miss.
Cheng misses with a body kick.
Cheng thuds his shin into the meat of Martinez's side.
Cheng bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Cheng tries to close the distance and clinch up but Martinez swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Cheng misses with a double jab.
Martinez takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Cheng gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Martinez.
Cheng throws a series of punches but Martinez avoids them all with ease.
Cheng scores with a hook.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Martinez throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Cheng's head.
Martinez jabs Cheng to the body, keeping him at a distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Martinez is looking to clinch.
Martinez bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Rafael Martinez is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
A bone on bone clash there as Cheng blocks the leg kick.
Cheng throws a body kick that misses.
Martinez looks to land a combination but Cheng avoids it well.
Martinez lands with a nice combination. Cheng backs away looking to recover.
Cheng uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Martinez has time to react.
Cheng fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Martinez manages to avoid it.
Cheng cracks the inside of Martinez's front leg.
Cheng takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Cheng throws a jab but it's blocked by Martinez.
Cheng moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
A swing and a miss from Cheng.
Cheng tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cheng feints and then cracks Martinez's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Martinez down.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Cheng punishes Martinez's body with a nice straight punch.
Cheng pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Cheng tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Martinez was well out of range. Poor timing from Cheng.
Martinez cracks Cheng with an open hand slap.
Cheng swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Cheng ducks under a wild hook from Martinez.
Martinez throws a head kick but Cheng moves out of range.
Cheng throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Cheng dodges the punch combination from Martinez.
Cheng lands a really nice looking cross but Martinez seems unphased.
Martinez jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
Martinez ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cheng misses with a body shot.
Martinez shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Cheng misses with a low kick.
Cheng thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Martinez if he has to take too many more of those.
Nice uppercut there from Martinez.
Cheng gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Martinez.
Martinez throws a body punch but Cheng moves out of range.
Cheng takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Martinez lands a nice shot to the body.
Nice takedown defense from Cheng. No joy for Martinez on that attempt.
Martinez clobbers Cheng with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Martinez misses with a wild combination.
Martinez is breathing heavily.
Martinez misses with a straight left.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Martinez clobbers Cheng with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Cheng waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Martinez.
Rafael Martinez seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Martinez avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Martinez throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Cheng throws a body kick that misses.
Cheng tests Martinez's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Cheng jabbing away but nothing is landing.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Cheng crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Martinez - the referee stops the clock and Cheng gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Martinez. Cheng manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Cheng lands a right hook to the body.

Martinez dives in and scores a takedown into Cheng's guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Martinez is trying to tuck his arms in to keep them safe but Cheng has managed to isolate one of them and has got a loose triangle. Martinez is looking to defend but Cheng has done well to lock his legs together - this could be big trouble for Martinez! Cheng pulls down on the head and a little smile comes across his face - he knows he's got it. Yep, Martinez taps out and this one is all over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:57 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Triangle). Charles Cheng!
Charles Cheng retains his light heavyweight title!