PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Toshi Nogueira (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and John Walker (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Nogueira
vs
Walker

175 cm
23
170 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

190 cm
20
170 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
KO power

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Determined

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Toshi Nogueira!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, John Walker!
The judges for this bout are Arvi Lind, Matti Vanhoillinen and Ben Zyskovitsi.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nogueira fails with a takedown attempt.
Nogueira swats away the attempt to clinch by Walker.
Walker blocks a head kick by Nogueira.
Nogueira tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Walker swivels and escapes.
Nogueira stuffs the takedown attempt from Walker. Walker gets slowly back to his feet.
Nogueira fails with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Toshi Nogueira. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Walker fails with the takedown.
Walker looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Nogueira is fending him off so far but Walker persists. Nope, Nogueira circles away and we're back to standing.
Walker stuffs the takedown.
Nogueira shoots in but no luck this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nogueira misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Nogueira fails with a takedown attempt.
Nogueira tries to clinch but Walker is having none of it.

Walker has taken the fight to the clinch.
Nogueira gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Walker.
Walker fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Nogueira wants to stall.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nogueira wants to break the clinch but can't.
Walker changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Nogueira fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Nogueira tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Walker paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Walker takes a swing at Nogueira's ribcage but misses.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Nogueira.
Nogueira throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Walker.
Walker misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Nogueira fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Walker looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Walker shoots in and drives through. Nogueira sprawls well.
Walker looks for a takedown but Nogueira sprawls well.
Walker looks winded!

Walker fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Nogueira, pushing him back against the cage.
Walker jumps guard but Nogueira stands there with Walker around his waist. Walker gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Nogueira is pressed up against the cage. Walker has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Nogueira down to the mat. Nogueira avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Nogueira scores with a hook.
Nogueira looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Walker is fending him off so far but Nogueira persists. Nope, Walker circles away and we're back to standing.
Nogueira ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Walker moves away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nogueira lands with a shot to the body.
Nogueira changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Walker tries to avoid it but Nogueira manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Walker to the ground. Walker escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.

Walker has managed to clinch.
Walker tries to pull guard but Nogueira won't allow it.
Walker is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Nogueira to keep the fight standing.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Walker gets underhooks to prevent Nogueira's takedown attempt.
Walker is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.

Walker breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Nogueira tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Walker paws at him with a jab and circles away.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Walker shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Nogueira as he avoids it easily.
Nogueira fails with the takedown.
Nogueira dives in and grabs Walker's left leg, looking for a takedown. Walker pushes down on Nogueira's head and hops out.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Toshi Nogueira will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Walker circles away from the clinch attempt

and Walker moves into the clinch.
Walker is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Nogueira is trying to push Walker away but Walker has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Nogueira fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Nogueira presses Walker against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Nogueira is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Nogueira tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Walker smiles and moves away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Toshi Nogueira. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Walker is defended easily by Nogueira.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Walker fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Nogueira, pushing him back against the cage.
Walker avoiding damage.
Walker lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Nogueira stalling in the clinch but Walker improves position.
Nogueira wants to take the fight to the mat but Walker manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.

Walker breaks the clinch.
Walker is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Walker fails with a takedown attempt.
Toshi Nogueira is winning the standup battle so far.

Nogueira rushes Walker and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Walker lands a right hand that snaps the head of Nogueira backwards.
Walker lands a hook that snaps the head of Nogueira backwards.
Nogueira goes for a takedown in the clinch but Walker prevents it.
Walker blocks a body shot from Nogueira.
Walker is trying to pull guard but Nogueira turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Walker manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Walker keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Nogueira's efforts to push away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Walker looking to stall.
Nogueira missing with knees to the body.

Nogueira pulls guard successfully.
Nogueira working a defensive guard but Walker passes into half guard.
Walker content to control rather than advance.
Nogueira trying to control here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Walker perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Walker wants to take a breather but Nogueira is having none of it.
Nogueira wants to control but Walker is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Walker in particular looking to stall.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Toshi Nogueira wasn't doing enough on the ground.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Nogueira.
Nogueira lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Nogueira is defended easily by Walker.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Walker tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Nogueira paws at him with a jab and circles away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but John Walker will probably get the nod - 10:9.
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!

Nogueira tries to close the distance and clinch up but Walker swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Walker shoots in but no luck this time.
Nice sprawl there from Nogueira as Walker shoots in.
Nogueira is trying hard to land a takedown here. Walker sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Nogueira dives in and grabs Walker's left leg, looking for a takedown. Walker pushes down on Nogueira's head and hops out.
Nogueira misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Toshi Nogueira. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Walker shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Nogueira as he avoids it easily.
Nogueira thows a body shot but no joy.
Walker avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Walker shoots for a double leg takedown but Nogueira sprawls well. He's pushed Walker's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Walker takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Nogueira circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Walker shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
The fight stays on the outside here - Nogueira looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Nogueira displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Walker.
Walker misses with a jab, cross combination.
Nogueira connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Walker's hands.
Nogueira throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Walker shoots in and drives through. Nogueira sprawls well.
Nogueira shoots in for a takedown but Walker shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Walker stuffs the takedown attempt from Nogueira. Nogueira gets slowly back to his feet.
Nogueira misses with a wild combination.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nogueira tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Walker paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Nice takedown defense from Nogueira. No joy for Walker on that attempt.
Nogueira misses with a takedown attempt - Walker sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Walker displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Nogueira.
Nogueira shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Walker defends it nicely.

Walker gets in close and instigates a clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Walker keeps control of Nogueira as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Walker gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Nogueira.
Walker tries to score a body lock takedown but Nogueira shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Walker.
Walker wants a takedown.
Nogueira avoiding damage as Walker throws knees to the body.
Nogueira scores with an uppercut up the middle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nogueira is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Nogueira drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Walker gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Walker wants a takedown but no success here.
Nogueira can't break the clinch.
Walker is trying to break the clinch but Nogueira has him pressed against the cage.
Nogueira is pressed up against the cage. Walker has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Nogueira down to the mat. Nogueira avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Nogueira chopping away at his opponent's legs.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Nogueira looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Walker is fending him off so far but Nogueira persists. Nope, Walker circles away and we're back to standing.
Nogueira will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Toshi Nogueira.
I think Nogueira has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Arvi Lind scores the fight for John Walker!
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight for Toshi Nogueira!
Judge Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight for Toshi Nogueira!

Toshi Nogueira wins by split decision!