PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Karl Bates (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Junior Dos Santos (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Dos Santos is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: BOXING IS MY LIFE. Junior Dos Santos will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

Bates
vs
Dos Santos

176 cm
22
215 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

195 cm
23
215 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

Decent wrestler
Brawler
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Karl Bates!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Junior Dos Santos!
The judges for this bout are Leandro Rodrigues, Alexandre Firmino and Paulo Santos.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bates avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Dos Santos fails with a takedown attempt.

Bates looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Dos Santos trying to hold on to Bates's head to control him but Bates postures up.
Dos Santos tries to strike from the bottom but it doesn't land.
Dos Santos is looking for a sweep. Bates is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bates not doing much here.

Bates is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Dos Santos wants to control but Bates is keeping busy and won't allow it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Well, if Bates is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Bates'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.
Bates could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Karl Bates wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Bates is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Bates feints and as Dos Santos raises his hands in defense, Bates changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bates forces his way into half guard.
Dos Santos wants to get back to his feet.
Dos Santos has hold of Bates's hands but Bates slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Bates is trying to control. Dos Santos wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Still in half guard, Bates seems content to control.

Bates is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Bates trying to mount his opponent but Dos Santos defends it.
Bates passes into side control, despite Dos Santos's attempt to control the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dos Santos tries to buck Bates off but Bates is having none of it.
Bates tries to advance to mount but can't.
Bates wants to lay and pray for a moment but Dos Santos keeps working.
Dos Santos tries to buck Bates off but Bates is having none of it.
Dos Santos can't do much from the bottom here.
Dos Santos is not content to let Bates control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bates tries to get to his feet but he's trapped momentarily.
Bates misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Dos Santos wants to control but Bates postures up.

Bates wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Dos Santos, who protects the arm well.

Bates working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Dos Santos can't do much from the bottom here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Karl Bates dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Bates fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Dos Santos takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Dos Santos pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Dos Santos scores with a jab to the head.

Dos Santos moves into the clinch.
Dos Santos lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Dos Santos tries for a takedown. No joy.

Bates manages to break the clinch.
The fight stays on the outside here - Dos Santos looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Dos Santos shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Bates pinned against the cage. Bates gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Bates shoots in for a takedown but Dos Santos shows good takedown defense.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Dos Santos closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Bates did well to prevent Dos Santos getting side control.
Bates is looking to improve his position.
Bates is trying to maintain the position but Dos Santos is very close to passing his half guard.

Bates looking for submissions off his back.
Bates manages to get to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bates wants to sweep here but Dos Santos controlling him for the moment.
Bates trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!
Dos Santos throws an elbow that misses. Bates uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Dos Santos's guard. Nice move by Bates!
Dos Santos working a defensive guard here.
Bates content to stall in guard here.
Dos Santos looking to control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

Dos Santos wriggles free and stands up.
Bates doesn't manage to clinch there - Dos Santos circles away.
Dos Santos misses with a head kick.
Dos Santos tries to clinch there but Bates circles away.
Bates tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Dos Santos paws at him with a jab and circles away.

Bates feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Dos Santos is breathing heavily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bates looking to control the position here, rather than advance.

Bates got a little sloppy there for a moment and Dos Santos has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Bates has managed to get both his arms back between Dos Santos's legs - danger averted.
Bates postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Dos Santos has a closed guard, preventing Bates from standing up.
Bates showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
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 Karl Bates will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Bates gets a takedown into half guard.
Dos Santos is staying active underneath Bates, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Bates wants to stand but Dos Santos has hold of a leg and an arm, so he's trapped for now.
Bates wants to pass the guard but Dos Santos is defending well.
Dos Santos is staying active underneath Bates, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Bates not doing much here.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Karl Bates wasn't doing enough on the ground.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Dos Santos enables Bates to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Dos Santos manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Dos Santos wants to sweep but no luck.
Dos Santos trying to keep a closed guard but Bates is proving a slippery customer.
Bates is looking to stand up but Dos Santos won't let him.
Bates engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Bates misses the shot to the body.
Dos Santos showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Bates.
Dos Santos tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and Bates holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Dos Santos being controlled against the cage.
Bates is looking to take this one to the mat.
Dos Santos wants to stall.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bates is trying to pull guard but Dos Santos has him pressed against the cage.
With the fighters up against the cage, Bates throws an elbow but misses.

Bates has double underhooks and is working for a body lock takedown. He's got it. The fighters land in half guard but Dos Santos regains guard immediately.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Bates stops Dos Santos from standing up.
Bates sitting in guard here, content to control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Dos Santos has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Bates has passed into side control.
Bates creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Dos Santos's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

Bates decides to take the fight back to the feet.
Dos Santos misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Dos Santos throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Bates fails with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Karl Bates. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Dos Santos shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Bates as he jumps to the side.

And that's the end of the fight!
Karl Bates showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Bates, 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 Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 30:27
Judge Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 30:27
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Karl Bates!