PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Gilbert Melendez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Tom Yabo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Melendez comes to the cage accompanied by 2Pac-Ballad of a Dead Soulja. Tom Yabo has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Gilbert Melendez's chin.

Melendez
vs
Yabo

175 cm
26
165 lbs
3 - 1 - 1

175 cm
18
160 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

Good takedowns
Counter striker
Cuts easily

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

CEC Nutrition Q160

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 3 - 1 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Gilbert Melendez!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Tom Yabo!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Don Winkell and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Melendez misses with the combination.
Yabo throws a right and a left that Melendez avoids nicely.
Yabo throws the kick towards the body but Melendez avoids it.
Yabo throws a series of punches but Melendez moves out of range.
Nice defenses there by Melendez.

Melendez shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Melendez was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Melendez sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Melendez has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Melendez moves to take his opponent's back.
What can Yabo do to escape this position? He's going to have to figure it out pretty quick if he wants to stay in the fight!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yabo trying to control the action but Melendez just sinks the hooks in.
Yabo is really stuck here.
What can Yabo do to escape this position? He's going to have to figure it out pretty quick if he wants to stay in the fight!
Yabo trying to control the position but Melendez manages to sink in the hooks.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Melendez really has the hooks in deep now - there seems like no escape for Yabo.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Gilbert Melendez just wasn't active enough.
Yabo just misses with a punch to the body.
Melendez shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Yabo pinned against the cage. Yabo gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Melendez.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Yabo throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Melendez avoids the body shot from Yabo.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Melendez.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gilbert Melendez. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Yabo throws a body punch but Melendez moves out of range.
A head kick misses from Yabo.
Yabo thows a body shot but no joy.
Yabo looks to land a left hand but Melendez moved out of range nicely.
Yabo tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Melendez was well out of range. Poor timing from Yabo.
Yabo looks to throw the jab but Melendez is out of range.
Yabo takes a swing at Melendez's ribcage but misses.

Melendez closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Melendez content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.
Melendez's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
Yabo is trying to get back to half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Yabo being controlled for a moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gilbert Melendez dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Yabo scores with a three punch combo!
Yabo is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Melendez rather than just go for the knockout.
Yabo tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Yabo lands a nice shot to the body.
Yabo misses the shot to the body.

Melendez decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Melendez is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Yabo is trying to maintain the position but Melendez is very close to passing his half guard.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Melendez controlling the action here.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Gilbert Melendez has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.

Yabo tries to keep at a distance but Melendez has taken the fight into the clinch.
Melendez is leaning against Yabo and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Yabo has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Yabo misses with a punch on the inside.

Melendez manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Yabo must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Melendez keeping moving, preventing Yabo from controlling successfully.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Melendez is on top in guard.
Melendez stays in close to Yabo's body and controls the position.
Melendez slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Yabo seems a little lost for a moment, as Melendez dominates the positioning.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Melendez has knee on belly and moves into mount.
Yabo is looking to get to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Melendez sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Gilbert Melendez just wasn't active enough.
Yabo misses with a few strikes there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yabo digs a good hook to Melendez's body.
Yabo swinging wildly here.
Yabo throws a right and a left that Melendez avoids nicely.
Melendez showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Yabo.
Yabo throws a one two combo.
Melendez looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Melendez dives in and scores a takedown into Yabo's guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Melendez is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gilbert Melendez dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Melendez avoids a punch combination nicely.

Melendez closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Yabo is looking for a sweep.
Melendez has knee on belly and moves into mount.
Melendez controlling his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yabo is desperately trying to improve his position but Melendez has a good base and remains in mount.
Melendez controlling from the full mount.

We're going to have a standup here because Gilbert Melendez wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.

Melendez throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Yabo tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Melendez is in Yabo's guard.
Melendez controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Yabo is trying to control the position but Melendez postures up.
Melendez passes Yabo's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Melendez takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yabo wants to control but Melendez is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Yabo takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Melendez works his way into full mount!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Melendez content just to control the position here.
Melendez seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Yabo for as long as he can get away with.
Melendez is dominating on the ground here - he's now on his opponent's back, looking to sink in the hooks. Yabo is in real trouble.
You know, I was talking to some of our celebrities at ringside tonight and they were split right down the middle on who was going to win this fight.
Gilbert Melendez is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Melendez is hanging on to Yabo's back as he tries to escape.
So, who will make the next big move? In this position it could be crucial.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Gilbert Melendez.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Melendez.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Melendez remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.
Melendez has knee on belly and now moves to full mount! Trouble for Yabo!
Tom Yabo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Melendez sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.

And that's the end of the fight!
Gilbert Melendez showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Melendez, 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 30:27
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Gilbert Melendez!
Gilbert Melendez thanked the fans post fight for their support.