PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Dion Watts (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Charles Cartez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Cartez has a niggling injury. He would have liked to come in 100% fit but that's not always possible. The key to victory for Dion Watts has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Watts
vs
Cartez

172 cm
18
130 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

166 cm
27
135 lbs
2 - 7 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Cuts easily

Dangerous GnP
Dangerous knees
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Dion Watts!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 7 - 0, fighting out of New York, Charles Cartez!
The judges for this bout are Bruno Lombardi, Anthony Taglia and John Roberts.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Cartez closes the distance and clinches.
Cartez can't find room to land a body shot as Watts controls the action.
Cartez with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Cartez looks gassed!
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Cartez prevents a takedown attempt there.
Watts avoiding damage as Cartez throws knees to the body.

Watts pulls guard successfully.
Watts preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

Watts manages to escape and get back to his feet.

Watts rushes Cartez and presses him up against the cage.
Cartez is pressed up against the cage. Watts has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Cartez down to the mat. Cartez avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.

Watts clinches up with Cartez and pushes him back against the cage.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Cartez slowing the pace effectively.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Watts pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Watts shoots in for a double leg but Cartez sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Dion Watts. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Watts shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Cartez as he avoids it easily.

Watts gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Watts changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Cartez fights it off and pushes away nicely.

Watts closes the distance and pushes Cartez back into the cage.
Cartez trying to land knees to the body.

Watts lands a takedown into guard.
Cartez doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Watts wants to stand but Cartez is controlling his posture from full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Watts postures up.

Cartez escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Watts gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Cartez is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Watts wants to control from the top but Cartez keeps moving.
Cartez has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
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!
Cartez trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Cartez throws some sloppy strikes off his back.
Cartez wants to control the position but Watts says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Watts missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Cartez tries to get to full guard but Watts has control of the leg.
Watts knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Cartez on the ground.
Watts tries to pass to full mount but Cartez defends it.
Cartez trying to control but Watts postures up.
Watts is looking to take a break and control but Cartez is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Watts trying to pass the guard but Cartez defending well.
Cartez trying to control from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cartez wants to get back to full guard.

Cartez looking for submissions off his back.
Cartez taking some punishment here, with Watts in his half guard.
Cartez is refusing to be controlled, as Watts sits in half guard.
Cartez tries to get to full guard but Watts has control of the leg.
Watts seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Cartez does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Watts tries to pass to full mount but Cartez defends it.
Cartez tries to get to full guard but Watts has control of the leg.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dion Watts 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.

Watts pulls out of a head kick attempt.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Cartez enables Watts to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Cartez manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Watts trying to control but Cartez is working from the bottom.
Cartez keeping full guard, as Watts tries to pass.
Watts trying to control but Cartez is working from the bottom.
Watts working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Watts wants to control from the top but Cartez keeps moving.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Dion Watts just wasn't active enough.
Cartez looks to score with a jab to the body but Watts is just out of range.
Cartez is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Cartez enables Watts to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Cartez manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Watts throws a big elbow that misses.
Watts trying to control but Cartez is working from the bottom.
Watts won't allow Cartez to sweep him here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Watts trying to control but Cartez is working from the bottom.
Watts pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Cartez is keeping the position for now.
Cartez can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Watts controls the pace.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Dion Watts just wasn't active enough.
Watts lands a jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Watts moves into range and clinches up with Cartez.

Watts pulls guard successfully.

Watts uses the cage to get back to his feet.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Watts.
Watts chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Cartez stuffs the takedown.
Cartez is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cartez throws a hook to the side of Watts's head but Watts sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Watts blocks a leg kick.

Watts has Cartez up against the cage in a clinch.

Watts jumps guard.
Cartez postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Cartez trying to control the position from guard on top but Watts is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Cartez in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Cartez controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Dion Watts overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Cartez won't allow Watts to sweep him here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cartez postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Cartez loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Cartez missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Cartez seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Watts bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Cartez's guard.
Cartez is trying to keep Watts in close.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Cartez looking for a guillotine here but Watts defends easily.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Cartez is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dion Watts dominated that second 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. This is the final round!

Watts bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Cartez is looking to regain half guard here but Watts keeps moving and retains side control.
Watts wants to control but Cartez is keeping him busy.
Watts controls the position.
Watts wants to lay and pray for a moment but Cartez keeps working.
Watts blocks the strikes from Cartez.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cartez is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
You can see the frustration on Cartez's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Watts wants to lay and pray for a moment but Cartez keeps working.

Watts is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Cartez is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Cartez struggling a bit here.
Watts postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cartez wings away with a couple of strikes but they don't land.
Cartez is looking for a sweep.
Watts wants to control but Cartez is keeping him busy.
Cartez is trying to improve his position.
Watts looks up at the clock and then as Cartez takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Watts smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Cartez throws a couple of strikes even though he's not really in a good position to do so.
Cartez tries to bench press Watts off him but Watts keeps the position.
Cartez can't do much from the bottom here.
Cartez is looking to regain half guard here but Watts keeps moving and retains side control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The referee asks Watts politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Watts prefers to stall for the moment though.
Cartez tries to buck Watts off but Watts is having none of it.
Watts is looking to take a break and control but Cartez is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Cartez tries to bench press Watts off him but Watts keeps the position.
Charles Cartez has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Watts working the ground and pound from side control.
Cartez is looking to regain half guard here but Watts keeps moving and retains side control.

Watts stands up and we're back to a striking position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Watts lands a head kick. Cartez smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Watts slips under a jab.
Watts shoots for a double leg takedown but Cartez sprawls well. He's pushed Watts's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Dion Watts is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Cartez tries to sprawl but Watts drives through with a takedown into half guard.

Watts is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Cartez defends it well.
Watts misses with a head shot. Cartez uses the momentum to regain guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Cartez with a couple of shots from the bottom there - nothing Watts can't handle though.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dion Watts showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Watts 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 Bruno Lombardi scores the fight 30:27
Judge Anthony Taglia scores the fight 30:27
Judge John Roberts scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dion Watts!