PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Erico Plaza (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and John Rambo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rambo is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Ride of the Valkyries. John Rambo acknowledges the crowd's support as he enters the cage.

Plaza
vs
Rambo

170 cm
30
183 lbs
17 - 12 - 1

176 cm
29
170 lbs
12 - 8 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Powerful

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 17 - 12 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Erico Plaza!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, John Rambo!
The judges for this bout are Cecil Peabody, Gwen Towbar and Robert Twigg.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Plaza shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Plaza was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Plaza looking to ground and pound but Rambo is blocking nicely.

Plaza looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.

Plaza working for a submission but Rambo is keeping him at bay.

Plaza working for a guillotine from mount but Rambo is in no mood to give up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Plaza is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Rambo has managed to escape the submission attempt.

Plaza jumps to side control looking for an arm triangle but Rambo manages to avoid the submission attempt.
Plaza postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Plaza tries to score with some ground and pound. Rambo controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Rambo is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Plaza has just dragged him back down to the mat.
Plaza tries to advance to mount but Rambo instead regains half guard.
Plaza stalling.
Rambo is refusing to be controlled, as Plaza sits in half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Plaza is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Rambo is refusing to be controlled, as Plaza sits in half guard.
Plaza sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Rambo defending well though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Plaza not landing any meaningful shots this time.

Plaza is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Rambo is trying to stand up here but Plaza is controlling him well.
Plaza lands with a punch from half guard.
Rambo really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Plaza. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Plaza is keen to just control but Rambo is a slippery customer.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Erico Plaza dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Plaza connects with an inside leg kick.
Rambo fails with an attempt to clinch.
Rambo tries to clinch up.
Plaza throws a jab when Rambo was well out of range.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Plaza is defended easily by Rambo.
Rambo blocks the body kick.
Plaza slips a straight right by Rambo.
Rambo tries to close the distance and clinch up but Plaza swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Plaza walks into a stiff left hand from Rambo.
Plaza misses with a shot to the body
and Rambo counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Rambo tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Plaza paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Plaza misses with a looping right.
Rambo wants to clinch up but Plaza keeps it at a distance.
Plaza looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Plaza misses with a head kick.
Rambo is looking to clinch.
Plaza avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Rambo wants to clinch up but Plaza keeps it at a distance.
Plaza swats away the attempt to clinch by Rambo.
Plaza throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Rambo doesn't manage to clinch there - Plaza circles away.
Plaza misses the shot to the body.
Plaza throws a right and a left that both miss.
Rambo tries to clinch up but Plaza circles away and keeps his distance.
Plaza lands a jab-cross combination.
Rambo jabs at Plaza's body.
Rambo scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Plaza avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rambo is looking to clinch but Plaza is avoiding it.
Rambo throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Rambo tries to close the distance and clinch but Plaza swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Plaza swats away the attempt to clinch by Rambo.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Rambo misses with a body shot.
Rambo tries to close the distance and clinch up but Plaza swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Rambo tries to clinch but Plaza is having none of it.

Rambo moves into range and clinches up with Plaza.
Plaza blocks an elbow strike.
Rambo doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Plaza unloads a knee to the mid-section. Rambo lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Plaza.
Plaza effectively controlling the action here.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Plaza lands with a left to the head.
Plaza is trying to maintain a safe position but Rambo gets an underhook and turns Plaza into the cage.
Rambo misses with a hook to the ribs.

Plaza's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Plaza lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Rambo fails in his attempt to clinch.

Rambo rushes Plaza and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Rambo tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Plaza is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Plaza stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Rambo misses with a hook from the clinch.
Plaza blocking some punches.
Rambo throws a punch but it's blocked by Plaza.
Plaza scores with an uppercut up the middle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rambo misses with a hook to the ribs.
Rambo prevents a body shot from Plaza.
Rambo misses with some punches.
Plaza lands a shot to the body.
Plaza blocks an uppercut.
Rambo throws a punch but it's blocked by Plaza.
Plaza tries to throw a body punch but Rambo avoids it by throwing Plaza back against the cage.
Rambo blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rambo misses with some punches.
Rambo working aggressively here.
Rambo throws a head punch that misses.
Rambo managing to block the knees to the body from Plaza.

Plaza escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Rambo lunges at Plaza with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Plaza's hand.
Plaza jabs Rambo to the body, keeping him at a distance.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Rambo working aggressively here.
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 Erico Plaza will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Rambo tries to clinch up
and Plaza counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Rambo connects with a nice looking jab.
Rambo is looking to clinch but Plaza is avoiding it.

Rambo forces Plaza back against the cage and clinches.
Rambo lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.

Plaza escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Rambo fails with an attempt to clinch.

Plaza rushes Rambo and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

Plaza breaks the clinch.
Plaza swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Rambo looks to clinch
and Plaza counters with a low kick, right behind Rambo 's knee.
Plaza takes a swing at Rambo's ribcage but misses.
Rambo lands a glancing blow to the side of Plaza's head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rambo is looking to clinch but Plaza is avoiding it.
Plaza fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Rambo manages to avoid it.

Plaza rushes Rambo and presses him up against the cage.
Rambo softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Rambo throws a punch but it's blocked by Plaza.
A shot in the inside from Rambo.
Plaza is looking to control Rambo's arms but Rambo gets an underhook and turns him. Now Plaza has his back to the cage.
Rambo fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Plaza swings wildly with an uppercut but Rambo uses good head movement to avoid it.
Rambo lands a shoulder strike.
Rambo tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Rambo misses with some punches.
Plaza misses with a body punch.
Rambo tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Plaza's elbow.
Rambo misses with a short punch on the inside.
Plaza unloads a knee to the mid-section.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Plaza tries to throw a body punch but Rambo avoids it by throwing Plaza back against the cage.
Rambo misses with the head strike.
Plaza throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Rambos head.
Rambo blocks a body shot from Plaza.
Rambo tries to work over Plaza's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Rambo scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Rambo working aggressively here.
Plaza is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Rambo takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Plaza lands a hook to the side of the head.
Rambo letting Plaza take a breather here.
A shot in the inside from Plaza.
Rambo makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Plaza lands a right hand.
Rambo working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Rambo struggles to land a body shot inside as Plaza controls his hands.
Rambo misses with the head strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rambo fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

Plaza breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Plaza swings for the body but Rambo moves out of range.
John Rambo is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Plaza circles away from the clinch attempt
and Plaza counters with a nice low kick that buckles Rambo's knee momentarily.
Erico Plaza is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Plaza tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Plaza looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Rambo tries to close the distance and clinch up but Plaza swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Rambo wants to clinch
and Plaza counters with an outside leg kick.
Rambo is looking to clinch but Plaza is avoiding it.
Good work by Rambo as he checks the leg kick.
Rambo is looking to clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rambo avoids the body shot from Plaza.
Plaza thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Rambo if he has to take too many more of those.
Rambo is looking to clinch but Plaza is avoiding it.
Plaza is looking to wear down Rambo with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Rambo tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Rambo tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Plaza ducks under a wild hook from Rambo.
Plaza shoots in for a double leg but Rambo sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Rambo takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Rambo fails with an attempt to clinch.
Rambo moves out of range of the body kick.

Plaza gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Plaza goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Rambo fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
John Rambo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Plaza is trying to push Rambo away but Rambo has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

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 Erico Plaza.
Well Plaza has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Cecil Peabody scores the fight 29:28
Judge Gwen Towbar scores the fight 30:27
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Erico Plaza!
A victorious Erico Plaza thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.