PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Mauricio Rua (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Roque Marcyanno (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Marcyanno has chosen Guerreiro do Rock - Forca Macabra as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Rua
vs
Marcyanno

185 cm
26
204 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

190 cm
20
200 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Great elbows
Granite chin

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Mauricio Rua!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Roque Marcyanno!
The judges for this bout are Felipe Paraventi, Thiago Cunha and Leandro Rodrigues.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Marcyanno throws a one two combo.

It looks like Mauricio Rua has been cut.

Marcyanno darts in and clinches Rua up against the cage.
Rua putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Marcyanno in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Marcyanno scores with a shoulder strike.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Rua unloads a knee to the mid-section. Marcyanno lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Knees in the clinch landing for Rua.
Marcyanno tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Rua is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Marcyanno looks gassed!
Rua lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Rua trying to land knees to the body.
Rua blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Marcyanno.
Come on Marcyanno - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Marcyanno wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Rua has him pressed against the cage.
Rua crunches a lovely knee into Marcyanno's ribcage.
Rua landing knees to the body.
Rua throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Marcyanno blocks it with crossed arms.
Marcyanno on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Rua with an attempt at a knee that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rua looking to throw knees to the head but Marcyanno is blocking nicely.
Rua lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Rua.
Rua is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Marcyanno is defending well for now.
Rua tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Marcyanno avoids it.
Marcyanno lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Rua backwards.
A frustrated look appears on Marcyanno's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Marcyanno blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Rua misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Marcyanno.
Marcyanno misses with the head strike.
Rua misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Marcyanno.
Marcyanno pushes Rua back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Marcyanno doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Rua misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Marcyanno.

Rua pulls guard effortlessly.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Marcyanno trying to move into half guard but instead Rua has managed to sweep!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rua being controlled here momentarily.

Rua stands up from guard. Let's bang!

Marcyanno rushes Rua and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Rua landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Marcyanno lands a left hand that snaps the head of Rua backwards.
Rua trying to land knees to the body.
Rua landing some nice looking knees to the body.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Rua.
Marcyanno trying to control the position but instead, Rua has worked for underhooks and has pushed Marcyanno into the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Marcyanno blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Rua obliges.
Rua jumps guard but Marcyanno stands there with Rua around his waist. Rua gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Rua misses with a knee strike.
Rua misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Marcyanno.
Rua working Marcyanno over with knees to the body.
Marcyanno misses with a hook to the ribs.
Rua takes a shot to the head.
Marcyanno has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Rua is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Rua trying to land knees to the body.
Rua throws a knee to the head but misses.
Rua tries to land a knee to the head but Marcyanno blocks with his arms.
Rua lands a nice elbow.
Rua using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Marcyanno lands a nice uppercut.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Marcyanno managing to block the knees to the body from Rua.
Rua tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Marcyanno avoids it.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rua connects with a nasty looking knee right to Marcyanno's face.
Rua tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Marcyanno misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Rua landing knees to the head.
Rua with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Rua with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Rua creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Marcyanno fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Rua looking to throw knees to the head but Marcyanno is blocking nicely.
Marcyanno wants to take the fight to the mat but Rua manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Mauricio Rua has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Roque Marcyanno.
With the fighters up against the cage, Rua throws an elbow but misses.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Rua comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Marcyanno managing to block the knees to the body from Rua.
Rua tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Marcyanno avoids it.
Marcyanno throws a punch but it's blocked by Rua.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mauricio Rua dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Mauricio Rua's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Rua tries to clinch but Marcyanno is having none of it.
Rua tries to close the distance and clinch but Marcyanno swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Rua takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Marcyanno swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

Marcyanno closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Rua tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Marcyanno avoids it.
Marcyanno tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Rua goes for a takedown in the clinch but Marcyanno prevents it.
Marcyanno managing to block the knees to the body from Rua.
Rua misses with an elbow strike.
Rua tries to land knees in the clinch but Marcyanno avoids the damage to the body.
Marcyanno can't find room to land a body shot as Rua controls the action.
Rua with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Marcyanno working aggressively here.
Rua working Marcyanno over with knees to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rua missing with knees to the body.
Marcyanno lands a right hand that snaps the head of Rua backwards.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rua prevents a body shot from Marcyanno.
Rua lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Rua lands an elbow just above Marcyanno 's eye.
Marcyanno misses with a body punch.
Marcyanno avoiding damage as Rua throws knees to the body.
Marcyanno jumps guard but Rua turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Marcyanno lands a left hand.
Rua unloads a knee to the mid-section. Marcyanno lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Mauricio Rua has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Rua is looking for a takedown.
Marcyanno tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Rua's elbow.
Rua landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Nice elbow from Rua.
Rua throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Marcyanno blocks it with crossed arms.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Rua letting Marcyanno take a breather here.
Marcyanno managing to block the knees to the body from Rua.
Rua misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Marcyanno.
Marcyanno misses with a punch on the inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rua tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Marcyanno avoids it.
Rua throws a knee to the head but misses.
Marcyanno on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Rua creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Marcyanno's defenses.
Marcyanno wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A head punch on the inside from Marcyanno fails to land.
Rua pushes off an throws an elbow but Marcyanno leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.

Rua jumps guard and drags Marcyanno to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Marcyanno works over Rua with some ground and pound from guard.
Marcyanno prevents Rua from getting back to his feet.
Marcyanno throws an elbow that misses. Rua uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Marcyanno's guard. Nice move by Rua!
Marcyanno wants to control the position but Rua says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Marcyanno actively working from the bottom here.
Marcyanno is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Marcyanno punching from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.

Rua escapes and gets back to his feet.

Marcyanno closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Rua landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Rua tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Rua misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Marcyanno.
Marcyanno lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Rua backwards.
Rua blocks an uppercut.
Rua putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Marcyanno in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Rua trying to land knees to the body.
Rua is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Marcyanno takes an elbow to the temple.
Marcyanno takes an elbow to the forehead.
Rua landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Rua is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Marcyanno is defending well for now.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mauricio Rua dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Mauricio Rua's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Rua instigates a clinch.
Marcyanno on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Marcyanno lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Rua creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Marcyanno's defenses.
Marcyanno lands with a short punch from the clinch.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Rua lands a knee to the head.
Rua throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Rua using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Marcyanno has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Marcyanno wants a takedown.

Marcyanno pulls guard effortlessly.
Marcyanno pulls Rua in close to prevent any damage.
Marcyanno takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Marcyanno wants to hit a switch here but Rua passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Marcyanno there!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Marcyanno has given up his back here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rua is riding his opponent, not letting Marcyanno buck him off.
Rua not allowing Marcyanno to control his hands.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Marcyanno is trying to get back to his feet but Rua has full control of the position and if anything, Marcyanno has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Marcyanno trying to control the hands but Rua won't let him.
Rua is hanging on to Marcyanno's back as he tries to escape.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rua controls the position.
Marcyanno is trying to break free.
Marcyanno wants to control his opponent's hands but Rua gets his hands free.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Roque Marcyanno was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Some wild striking there from Marcyanno.

Marcyanno rushes Rua and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Rua tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Rua lands a knee to the body.
Marcyanno takes a knee right on the jaw!
Marcyanno fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Rua working Marcyanno over with knees to the body.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Rua gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Marcyanno blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Rua is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Marcyanno is defending well for now.
Rua lands an elbow inside.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Rua blocking some punches.
Rua prevents the takedown attempt.
Mauricio Rua has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Roque Marcyanno.
Rua blocking some punches.
Roque Marcyanno has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Mauricio Rua is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Marcyanno on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

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 Mauricio Rua.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Rua, 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 Felipe Paraventi scores the fight 30:27
Judge Thiago Cunha scores the fight 30:27
Judge Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Mauricio Rua!