PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Gerard Esqueda (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mad Max (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Esqueda might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Cant del Barça. Gerard Esqueda could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Mad Max's chin.

Esqueda
vs
Max

179 cm
23
168 lbs
7 - 3 - 0

179 cm
27
160 lbs
11 - 5 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

ADCC Champion
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

$10

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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 7 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Gerard Esqueda!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Mad Max!
The judges for this bout are Aleksei Zolotukhin, Viktor Lagutenko and Konstantin Menshow.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Max fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Max looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Esqueda is fending him off so far but Max persists. Nope, Esqueda circles away and we're back to standing.
An inside leg kick from Max misses.

Esqueda has taken the fight to the clinch.
Max trying to land knees to the body.
Esqueda blocks an uppercut.
Esqueda has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Max avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.

Max has moved round to his opponent's back and is looking for a suplex! Oh snap! He's tossed Esqueda clear over his head and slammed him to the mat!
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
What can Esqueda do to escape this position? He's going to have to figure it out pretty quick if he wants to stay in the fight!
I really don't envy Esqueda right now.
Max somehow managing to miss with a strike from the back.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Esqueda showing good submission defense here.
Max trying to control momentarily.
Max misses with a punch to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Max controlling well, preventing Esqueda from escaping the position.
Esqueda looking very determined here, making life difficult for Max.

Max has got his arm under Esqueda's chin working for the choke… has he got it? It looks pretty tight! Oh! Esqueda has spun round into Max's guard beautifully! Well done that man!
Esqueda trying to control but Max is working from the bottom.
Max is trying to control the position but Esqueda postures up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Mad Max has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Max throws a head kick but Esqueda moves out of range.
That kick from Max tenderised Esqueda's leg. Esqueda is trying to keep his angry face on.
Esqueda shoots in but Max avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Esqueda connects with the punch.
Max wants to slow Esqueda down by chopping away at his legs.
Esqueda rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Max counters with a nice low kick that buckles Esqueda's knee momentarily.

Max rushes Esqueda and presses him up against the cage.
Esqueda blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Max prevents the takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gerard Esqueda. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A nice right hand lands inside from Max.

Esqueda breaks the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Max lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Max plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Nice body kick from Max.
Max showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Esqueda.

Max decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Max not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Esqueda is looking for a sweep. Max is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Esqueda is working hard here to advance position.
Max is nestled in close to Esqueda, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mad Max dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

A swing and a miss from Esqueda.
Max throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Max.
Max keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Esqueda.
No joy there for Esqueda, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Good leg kick by Max there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Esqueda tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Max paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Esqueda takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.

Max forces Esqueda back against the cage and clinches.
Max doesn't land with the attempted body shot.

Esqueda breaks the clinch.
Esqueda throws a looping overhand right but Max ducks down to avoid it.
Max looks to land a body kick but Esqueda moved away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Max uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Esqueda.
Esqueda takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Esqueda shoots in and drives through. Max sprawls well.
Mad Max seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Max lands with a nice body kick.

Max forces Esqueda back against the cage and clinches.

Esqueda breaks the clinch.
Max lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.

It looks like Gerard Esqueda has been cut.
Max cracks Esqueda with a good jab.

Max shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Esqueda manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Max looking to sit in guard and control but Esqueda gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Max controls Esqueda momentarily but Esqueda frees himself.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Max pulls Esqueda in close to prevent any damage.
Esqueda throwing strikes but missing.
Max working a defensive guard here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Mad Max was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Max pivots, looking for a leg kick but Esqueda is out of range and Max settles back down.
Max lands a nice looking body kick.
Esqueda takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.

Max clinches with his opponent.
Esqueda wants to take the fight to the mat but Max manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Max misses with a hook to the ribs.
Max pushes Esqueda back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Max tries a body shot but Esqueda blocks it.
Esqueda working hard to break the clinch.
Max tries to stall but Esqueda uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Max keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Esqueda's efforts to push away.
Esqueda will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
Esqueda is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Esqueda is trying to drag Max to the mat but Max just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gerard Esqueda. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Max manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Esqueda landing some decent shots from guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mad Max showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Gerard Esqueda's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Max scores with a head kick. Esqueda tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Esqueda misses with a right hand
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Max ducks under a wild hook from Esqueda.
Esqueda slaps away a takedown attempt from Max, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Max throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

Max gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Max is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Max is working for a kimura but Esqueda is defending it quite comfortably.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Max trying to mount his opponent but Esqueda defends it.
Max content to control rather than advance.
Max trying to control the action but Esqueda is working from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Max wants to free his trapped foot but Esqueda is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Max is trying to control. Esqueda wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Esqueda regains full guard. Nicely done.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Max is pushing down on Esqueda's leg trying to pass to half guard. Esqueda is fighting to maintain full guard but Max has managed to sneak the leg through.
Esqueda is looking for a sweep. Max is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Max lands strikes from half guard.
Max is controlling the pace.

Max is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Esqueda is just riding it out for now. Max eventually gives up the hold.
Gerard Esqueda has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Max is keen to just control but Esqueda is a slippery customer.
Max not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Max sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Esqueda defending well though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Max is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Esqueda!
BOOM! Max connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Max can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Esqueda is looking to escape.
Max fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Esqueda taking shots to the head.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Max has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Esqueda's face.
Esqueda keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Max working Esqueda over with strikes here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Mad Max comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Max has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight 27:30
Judge Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight 27:30
Judge Konstantin Menshow scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Mad Max!
A very excited looking Mad Max made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.