PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between António Maia (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Stephen Learmont (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Maia comes into the arena with It's a kind of magic by Queen blaring out of the sound system. Learmont has chosen Deftones - Beware the Water as his entrance music. There are an array of beautiful celebrities at ringside tonight! I wonder if any of them paid for their tickets.

Maia
vs
Learmont

189 cm
28
181 lbs
12 - 6 - 0

184 cm
21
177 lbs
6 - 3 - 0

Powerful takedowns
Counter striker
Granite chin

BJJ Purple Belt
World class boxer
Heavy handed

CEC Nutrition Q160 *Christmas Sale*

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 12 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, António Maia!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Stephen Learmont!
The judges for this bout are Saam Ante, Nard Betker and Aafke Stam.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Learmont throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Maia on the side of the head.

It looks like António Maia has been cut.
Learmont lands a leg kick that knocks Maia off balance momentarily.
Learmont misses with a hook. Maia ducked under it nicely.
Learmont is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Learmont wants to clinch.
Learmont ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Maia displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Learmont throws out the jab.
Maia avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Maia throws a right and a left that both miss.

Learmont forces Maia back against the cage and clinches.
Learmont tries a knee to the head but Maia blocks it.
Learmont tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Learmont misses with a body punch.
Maia is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Learmont misses with a knee strike.
A knee to the head by Learmont.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Learmont looking to throw knees to the head but Maia is blocking nicely.
Learmont with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Learmont works on Maia's body with a couple of short punches.
Good body shot from Learmont.
Knees to the body from Learmont.
Learmont's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Learmont goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Learmont prevents Maia from breaking the clinch.
Learmont goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Learmont tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Maia's elbow.
Learmont has a couple of punches blocked by Maia.
A nice left hand lands by Learmont.
Learmont misses with a knee to the head.
Learmont will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Maia up against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maia goes for a takedown in the clinch but Learmont prevents it.
Maia managing to block the knees to the body from Learmont.
Maia on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Learmont tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Maia's elbow.
Learmont connects with a knee to the head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Maia tries to score a body lock takedown but Learmont shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Learmont lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Maia taking a breather.
Learmont throws a head punch that misses.
Maia avoids the elbow strike from Learmont, against the cage.
Maia tries to pull guard but Learmont holds him up against the cage and eventually Maia drops back down to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for António Maia. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Learmont tries a body shot but Maia blocks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Learmont breaks the clinch.
Maia fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.

Maia shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Maia was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
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.
Maia tries to control but Learmont wriggling away.
Learmont keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Maia fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Learmont holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Maia tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maia looking to control and managing it successfully.
Learmont is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

Maia working for a guillotine from mount but Learmont is in no mood to give up.
Maia looking to ground and pound but Learmont is blocking nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Stephen Learmont dominated that round.
The cut man is working on António Maia's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Learmont tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Maia paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Learmont walks into a left hand.
Maia throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Maia lands a nice looking body shot.
Learmont swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Maia throws a big shot that misses.
Maia slips under a jab from Learmont.
Maia fails to land with a series of punches.
Maia with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Learmont swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
A leg kick checked by Maia.
Learmont misses with a straight left.
Learmont loads up on a big right hand but Maia slips the punch.
Learmont scores with a crisp jab that stopped Maia in his tracks.
Learmont tries to clinch there but Maia circles away.
Learmont is looking to clinch.

Learmont rushes Maia and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
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!
Learmont tries a knee to the head but he's missed.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Learmont misses with a hook to the ribs.
Learmont swings away with an uppercut that misses.

Maia gets control of Learmont's arms and successfully pulls guard. Maia will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
Learmont must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Maia holds on and takes a little breather.

Maia looking for submissions from the bottom but instead Learmont passes into side control.
Maia is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Learmont off and has taken his back!
Learmont is trying to get back to his feet but Maia has full control of the position and if anything, Learmont has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Learmont is in a world of trouble here. He's outmatched on the ground here and he'd better get Maia off his back sharpish unless he wants to be submitted.
Maia struggling to land strikes to the head as Learmont covers up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Learmont prevents Maia from getting a body triangle.
Maia is trying to control but Learmont is trying to escape here - he's now mounted.

Maia goes for an armbar but he's not got it… Learmont turns into him and now he's in Maia's guard.
Learmont being controlled here momentarily.
Maia is trying to keep Learmont in close.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Maia wants to sweep here but Learmont controlling him for the moment.
Maia is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of António Maia.
Learmont throws a shot from downtown. Maia moves away and avoids it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Learmont is looking to clinch.
Learmont tries to close the distance and clinch up but Maia swats him away and circles back towards the center.
A head kick misses from Learmont.
Maia slips under a jab.
Stephen Learmont seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Learmont moves out of range as Maia strikes.
A head kick misses from Learmont.
A looping hook to the body misses from Maia. Learmont does a little dance to reset his feet.
Learmont tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Learmont tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Learmont misses with an uppercut. Maia saw that one coming.
A swing and a miss from Learmont.
Learmont scores with a jab.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Learmont rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Maia cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Learmont tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Maia was well out of range. Poor timing from Learmont.
Stephen Learmont seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Maia shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Maia trying to control the position from guard on top but Learmont is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
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 António Maia will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on António Maia's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Learmont throws a hook but Maia blocks it.
No joy there for Learmont, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Maia shoots for a takedown but Learmont saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Learmont tries to close the distance and clinch up but Maia swats him away and circles back towards the center.
A slapping body kick lands there for Learmont.
Maia keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Learmont throws a hook but Maia blocks it.

Learmont moves into the clinch.
Maia is trying to maintain a safe position but Learmont gets an underhook and turns Maia into the cage.
Learmont working Maia over with knees to the body.
Learmont lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Learmont misses with a punch to the body.
Learmont tries to throw a body punch but Maia avoids it by throwing Learmont back against the cage.
Learmont throws a knee to the head but misses.
Maia trying to control the position but instead, Learmont has worked for underhooks and has pushed Maia into the cage.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Learmont lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Learmont scores with a shot to the side of Maia's head.
Nice body punch from Learmont - that landed with a thud.
A nice left hand lands by Learmont.
Maia takes a knee to the side of the body.
Learmont tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Learmont lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Maia backwards.
Maia jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Learmont walks away with a smile on his face. Maia gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

Learmont clinches up with Maia and pushes him back against the cage.
Learmont using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Maia has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Maia is trying to break the clinch but Learmont has him pressed against the cage.
Maia fails to pull the fight into his guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for António Maia. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Learmont escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Learmont throws a body punch but Maia moves out of range.
Maia keeps the fight on the outside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maia uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Learmont.
Learmont looks to land a right hand but Maia moved out of range.
Learmont connects with a jab.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Maia looks to throw the jab but Learmont is out of range.
Learmont pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Learmont swings widly with a right hand
and Maia counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

Maia shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.

Maia drops back, looking for a kneebar! Learmont looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Learmont looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Learmont!
Maia tries to buck Learmont off but Learmont is having none of it.
Maia is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Maia looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Learmont wants to control but Maia is keeping him busy.
It looks like Learmont is going to stand back up.
Maia desperately trying to maintain half guard.
The fighters are battling for position here. Maia manages to regain full guard. Nice work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Learmont wants to get up but he can't break Maia's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

Maia is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Maia wants to sweep but no luck.

Maia working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Learmont doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Oh but Maia is tightening it up a little... Learmont has to be careful here... He's got his foot tucked under now, this looks tight! Learmont reacted too slowly and this one could be over in a matter of seconds! YES! Learmont taps out! Nice BJJ there by Maia!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:57 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Triangle Choke). António Maia!
A victorious António Maia thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.