PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Mauricio Silva (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ben Gatho (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Silva comes to the cage accompanied by Dirty Hous'. Gatho has chosen 666 - Bomba! as his entrance music. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Silva
vs
Gatho

178 cm
30
182 lbs
18 - 7 - 2

175 cm
28
173 lbs
16 - 9 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

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 18 - 7 - 2, fighting out of Montreal, Mauricio Silva!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 9 - 1, fighting out of New York, Ben Gatho!
The judges for this bout are Frank Antenori, Jack Bonds and Timothy Bukovac.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Silva waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Gatho.
A looping hook to the body misses from Gatho. Silva does a little dance to reset his feet.
Silva tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Gatho fakes the leg kick and cracks Silva in the body.
Gatho tries a head kick but it misses.
Gatho throws a hook but Silva avoids it easily.
Silva looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Silva misses with the body kick
and Gatho counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Silva defending well as Gatho loads up on a big left hand.
Gatho uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Silva.
Gatho buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Silva pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Silva throws a leg kick but Gatho sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Silva tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Gatho manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Gatho throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Silva stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Silva swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Silva misses with a straight right.
Silva with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Gatho fails to land with a series of punches.
Gatho dips to his left and cracks Silva with an uppercut!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Silva misses with a hook.
Crunch! Silva slams his shin into Gatho's torso.
Nice shot by Silva.
Silva's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Silva duly obliges.
Silva throws a low kick but it's checked well by Gatho.
Silva throws a low kick but Gatho avoids it.
Silva tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Gatho is able to avoid easily.
Silva shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Silva throws out a leg kick but Gatho moves out of range and Silva only half commits.
Gatho misses with a wild body shot.
Gatho slips a straight right by Silva.
Gatho with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Gatho lands with a hook. Silva tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Silva throws a low kick but it's checked well by Gatho.
Silva displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Gatho throws out the jab.
Mauricio Silva is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Silva keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Mauricio Silva seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Silva.
Gatho fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Silva connects with a right hand. Gatho shakes it off.
Silva blocks a head kick by Gatho.
Silva takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Silva tries a head kick but it misses.
Gatho is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.

Gatho closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Gatho lands in his opponent's guard.
Gatho throws a big elbow that misses.
Gatho scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Gatho postures up in Silva's guard and throws a big left but Silva blocks it.
Silva working a defensive guard here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Silva can't keep his opponent in guard - Gatho advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Gatho missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Silva is looking to improve his position.
Gatho missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Gatho tries to pass to full mount but Silva defends it.
Silva wants to control but Gatho is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Silva tries to roll over but Gatho keeps him under control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Silva is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Gatho scores with a couple of nice shots.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Silva tries to roll over but Gatho keeps him under control.
Gatho seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Silva does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Silva is looking for a sweep. Gatho is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Silva is doing well to control the position and prevent Gatho from advancing to side control.
Gatho stops Silva from getting back to his feet.
Silva tries to roll over but Gatho keeps him under control.
Gatho trying to control the action but Silva is working from the bottom.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Silva is trying to stand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ben Gatho dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Silva throws out a leg kick but Gatho moves out of range and Silva only half commits.
Silva turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
A bone on bone clash there as Silva blocks the leg kick.
Silva jabs at Gatho's body.
Silva throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
A punch combination from Gatho misses.
Silva throws a right and a left that both miss.
Ben Gatho seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Gatho punishes Silva's body with a nice straight punch.
A bone on bone clash there as Gatho blocks the leg kick.
Silva throws a head kick that Gatho semi-blocks.
Gatho connects with a leg kick. Silva looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Silva on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Gatho takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Silva lands with a slapping head kick.
Silva misses with a head kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Silva throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Silva throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Gatho is looking to land body kicks.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gatho digs a good hook to Silva's body.
A lazy left from Gatho finds it's target.
Gatho checks the leg kick nicely there.
Silva pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Silva delivers a nice body kick.
Silva checks a leg kick.
Silva swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Silva throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Gatho's head.
A swing and a miss from Silva.
Silva fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Silva throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Silva misses with a body kick.
Gatho avoids the head kick by Silva.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Gatho throws a looping overhand right but Silva ducks down to avoid it.
Silva lands a nice looking body kick.
Some wild striking there from Silva.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Silva enables Gatho to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Silva manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Gatho has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Gatho postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Silva has momentary wrist control but Gatho slips an elbow through the middle.
Gatho postures up and lands a big shot to Silva's brow.
Gatho postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Silva looking for a sweep. Not yet Silva, not yet.
Gatho trying to control the position from guard on top but Silva is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Gatho lands a couple of digs.

Silva working for a triangle but Gatho defends it easily.
Gatho content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Silva looking for submissions from the bottom but instead Gatho passes into half guard.
Gatho is keen to just control but Silva is a slippery customer.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Gatho lands a nice short elbow.
Silva manages to get to full guard.

Silva isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. Gatho stacks Silva on his neck as he steps over and passes to the side. He's now in a much more dominant position where he can look to do some serious damage. Nice move by Gatho!
Silva is not content to let Gatho control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gatho working away.
Silva tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Silva is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Gatho's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
Gatho trying to control from half guard but Silva is working away.
Silva trying to control but Gatho postures up.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Gatho wants to take a breather but Silva is having none of it.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Silva is trying to get back to full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ben Gatho showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Silva takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Silva misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Silva looks to throw the jab but Gatho is out of range.
Silva finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
A telegraphed right hand from Gatho misses the target.
Silva lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
The fighters circling - Gatho throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
A lazy left from Gatho finds it's target.

Gatho shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Silva manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Silva is pulling down on Gatho's head to control his posture.
Silva not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Silva is on top in guard.
Silva trying to control the position from guard on top but Gatho is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Silva tries to free his leg and advance position but Gatho is retaining full guard.
Silva is looking to work some ground and pound but Gatho has wrist control.
Gatho controlling Silva's posture.
Gatho looking for a sweep. Not yet Gatho, not yet.
Gatho lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Silva!
Gatho lands a big elbow.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gatho content just to control the position here.
The referee warns Silva that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Gatho looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Gatho trying to control but Silva is having none of it.
Silva trying desperately to get to his feet.

Gatho swings around for an armbar and he's got it! Wow, that came out of nowhere! What a finish!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:59 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Ben Gatho!
Ben Gatho was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.