PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Darius Ellis (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Chad Castellanos (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Ellis
vs
Castellanos

185 cm
25
165 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

173 cm
25
160 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Intelligent

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin

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 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Darius Ellis!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Chad Castellanos!
The judges for this bout are , Timothy Bukovac and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Castellanos throws a body kick despite being completely out of range
and Ellis counters with an inside leg kick.
Ellis checks a leg kick.

Ellis closes the distance and clinches.
Ellis tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Castellanos landing knees to the body.
Castellanos makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Ellis avoiding damage as Castellanos throws knees to the body.

Ellis's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Ellis looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Castellanos is fending him off so far but Ellis persists. Nope, Castellanos circles away and we're back to standing.

Ellis clinches with his opponent.
Ellis managing to block the knees to the body from Castellanos.
Castellanos misses with a body punch.
Ellis blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Ellis tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Castellanos landing some nice looking knees to the body.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Castellanos stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Ellis takes a knee to the side of the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for Ellis.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ellis blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Ellis throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Castellanos blocks it with crossed arms.
Ellis is breathing heavily.
The referee calls for Castellanos to work.
Ellis wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Ellis lands a body punch.
Ellis blocks the elbow strike.
Castellanos trying to land knees to the body.
Ellis drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Castellanos gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Castellanos can't find room to land a body shot as Ellis controls the action.
Castellanos misses with an elbow strike.
Castellanos tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Ellis managing to block the knees to the body from Castellanos.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Ellis tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Ellis managing to block the knees to the body from Castellanos.
Ellis throws a knee to the head but misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ellis is trying to stall.
Ellis goes for a takedown attempt but Castellanos pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Darius Ellis. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Castellanos closes the distance and pushes Ellis back into the cage.
Ellis wants to get back to striking at distance but Castellanos won't allow it.
Ellis avoiding damage as Castellanos throws knees to the body.
Ellis throws a knee to the head but misses.
Castellanos stops a takedown attempt from Ellis.
Ellis prevents a body shot from Castellanos.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Castellanos is looking for a takedown.
Castellanos unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Castellanos drops down looking for an ankle pick but Ellis pulls his leg out and moves away.
Castellanos shoots in looking for a takedown. Ellis tries to sprawl out of it but Castellanos keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Ellis manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Castellanos throws a lazy head kick
and Ellis counters with a good, hard body kick but Castellanos shrugs it off.

Castellanos clinches with his opponent.
Castellanos with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Castellanos doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Castellanos tries to stall but Ellis uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Ellis tries a knee to the head but Castellanos blocks it.
Castellanos lands with a short shot to the head.
Castellanos misses with a punch to the body.
Ellis is looking to break free of the clinch but Castellanos has double underhooks.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Castellanos blocks the elbow strike.
Castellanos on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
A frustrated look appears on Ellis's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Ellis is looking to take this one to the mat.
Castellanos misses with a punch to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Castellanos misses with a body punch.
Ellis using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Castellanos has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Castellanos throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Ellis missing with knees to the body.
Ellis looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.
Castellanos with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.

Ellis breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Ellis takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Castellanos blocks a head kick by Ellis.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Castellanos throws a head kick but Ellis moves out of range.
Castellanos lands a slapping body shot.

Castellanos scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Castellanos looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
My spies in Full Affliction Fight Team -All Elite Coaching- inform me that Castellanos has been getting involved in the gym's BJJ sparring sessions. Let's see whether that pays dividends!
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Ellis is looking to improve his position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Castellanos moves into the clinch.
Castellanos wants to stall.
Ellis with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Castellanos tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Ellis avoids it.
A frustrated look appears on Ellis's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Castellanos tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Ellis's elbow.
A short body shot lands from Castellanos as the two fighters clinch.
Ellis misses with some punches.
Castellanos lands with a light punch inside.
Castellanos lands a knee to the head.
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!
Castellanos misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Castellanos misses with an elbow strike.
Ellis is trying to push Castellanos away but Castellanos has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Castellanos just misses with a elbow thrown towards Ellis's brow.
Knees to the body from Castellanos.
Chad Castellanos seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Castellanos is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A bit of stalling here from Castellanos.
Castellanos crunches a lovely knee into Ellis's ribcage.
Castellanos is leaning against Ellis and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Castellanos misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Ellis.
Castellanos with a knee to the head.
Castellanos is looking for a takedown.
Castellanos can't find room to land a body shot as Ellis controls the action.
Ellis on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Castellanos comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Ellis with an attempt at a knee that misses.

Castellanos lands a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Ellis is trying to control but can't.
Ellis moves into full guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Castellanos controls from within his opponent's guard.
Castellanos forces his way into half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Castellanos trying to control the action but Ellis is working from the bottom.
Castellanos thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Ellis is looking to improve his position.
Ellis keeping control of the position.
Ellis blocking the ground and pound attempt from Castellanos.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Ellis avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Castellanos.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Castellanos in particular looking to stall.
Castellanos throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Ellis wants to control but Castellanos is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Ellis tries to roll over but Castellanos keeps him under control.
Castellanos wants to control but Ellis is keeping him busy.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Castellanos is looking to clinch but Ellis is avoiding it.
Ellis takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.

Castellanos moves into the clinch.

Ellis's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Castellanos tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Ellis defends well and Castellanos ends up having to push Ellis into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Ellis looks to throw an elbow but misses.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Castellanos throws an elbow but it's blocked.
A right hand to the body from Castellanos.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Castellanos lands a knee to the body.
Ellis gets underhooks to prevent Castellanos's takedown attempt.
Darius Ellis has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Chad Castellanos.
Castellanos swings wildly with an uppercut but Ellis uses good head movement to avoid it.
Castellanos pushes Ellis back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Castellanos misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Ellis.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Castellanos tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Ellis avoids it.
Ellis goes for a takedown attempt but Castellanos pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Castellanos buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Chad Castellanos showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Ellis on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.

Ellis rushes Castellanos and presses him up against the cage.
Ellis wants a takedown but no success here.
Castellanos utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Castellanos pushes off an throws an elbow but Ellis leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Ellis tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Castellanos struggles to land a body shot inside as Ellis controls his hands.
Ellis misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Castellanos.
Castellanos stalling in the clinch.
Castellanos looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Castellanos pushes off an throws an elbow but Ellis leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Ellis using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Castellanos has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Castellanos tries a body shot but Ellis blocks it.
Ellis has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Ellis managing to block the knees to the body from Castellanos.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Castellanos misses with a punch on the inside.
Castellanos landing knees to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ellis tries to pull guard but Castellanos won't allow it.
Castellanos has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Ellis avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Castellanos misses with a hook from the clinch.
Castellanos tries to land knees in the clinch but Ellis avoids the damage to the body.
Ellis is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Ellis on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

Ellis breaks the clinch.
Ellis misses with a jab to the body
and Castellanos counters with a solid body kick.
Castellanos moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Castellanos throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Ellis's head.
Ellis shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Castellanos sprawls well. Castellanos wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Ellis gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Darius Ellis. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Castellanos moves in looking to clinch but Ellis pushes him off.
Castellanos has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Castellanos is looking to clinch but Ellis is avoiding it.
Ellis slaps away a takedown attempt from Castellanos, before circling back to the center of the mat.

Ellis takes the fight into the clinch.
Ellis fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Castellanos avoiding damage as Ellis throws knees to the body.
Castellanos trying to stall but Ellis improves his position.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Ellis working hard to break the clinch.
Castellanos swings wildly with an uppercut but Ellis uses good head movement to avoid it.
Nice body punch from Castellanos - that landed with a thud.
Castellanos lands a knee to the body.
Castellanos gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Castellanos managing to block the knees to the body from Ellis.
Castellanos lands an elbow inside.
Castellanos lands a nice uppercut.
Castellanos is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Castellanos tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Ellis's elbow.
Ellis missing with knees to the body.
Castellanos connects with a nasty looking knee right to Ellis's face.
Castellanos throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Ellis takes an elbow to the temple.
Castellanos has Ellis pushed against the cage.
Ellis blocks an uppercut.
Castellanos works on Ellis's body with a couple of short punches.
Castellanos tries to work over Ellis's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Castellanos looking to slow down the pace here.
Chad Castellanos is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ellis is looking to take this one to the mat.
Castellanos trying to land knees to the body.
Castellanos unloads a knee to the mid-section.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Castellanos crunches a lovely knee into Ellis's ribcage.
Ellis tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Castellanos creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Castellanos takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Darius Ellis has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Castellanos scores a nice knee to the body.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Ellis looks to throw an elbow but misses.
A knee to the head by Castellanos.
Castellanos misses with a punch to the body.
Castellanos stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Chad Castellanos comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Castellanos 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 Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 27:30
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 27:30
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Chad Castellanos!
Darius Ellis was interviewed post fight and said 'He is an excellent fighter and had a good gameplan. Nothing else to do now but get back in the gym'.