PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Rickson Silva (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sailosi Tauafao (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Silva
vs
Tauafao

190 cm
22
218 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

190 cm
22
220 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Experienced

BJJ White Belt
Counter striker
Granite chin

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 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Rickson Silva!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Sailosi Tauafao!
The judges for this bout are John Mangel, Hugh Johnson and Damien Edna.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Silva fails to land with a series of punches.
Silva lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Silva moves in looking to clinch but Tauafao pushes him off.

Silva darts in and clinches Tauafao up against the cage.
Silva misses with a punch to the body.
Tauafao blocks an elbow strike from Silva.
Silva lands an elbow just above Tauafao 's eye.
Silva misses with a punch on the inside.
Silva landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Silva landing knees to the head.
Tauafao takes an elbow to the temple.
Silva misses with some punches.
Tauafao wants to break free but Silva has control.

Tauafao breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Silva misses with a jab, cross combination.
Tauafao keeps the fight on the outside.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Silva fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Tauafao, pushing him back against the cage.
Tauafao has Silva pressed against the cage.
Silva lands a knee to the body.
Silva misses with a punch on the inside.
Silva misses with a hook to the ribs.
Silva lands a knee to the head.
Tauafao blocks an uppercut.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Tauafao.
Silva lands a nice knee to the body.
Silva trying to land knees to the body.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Silva creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Silva is working Tauafao over against the cage.
Silva lands an uppercut.
Silva lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Silva tries a knee to the head but Tauafao blocks it.
Nice body punch from Silva.
Tauafao looks gassed!
Silva misses with a knee strike.
A short uppercut from Silva.
Silva crunches a lovely knee into Tauafao's ribcage.
Tauafao avoiding damage as Silva throws knees to the body.
Silva throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Tauafaos head.
Silva scores with a knee to the head.
Silva lands a knee to the body.
Silva missing with knees to the body.
Silva throws an elbow that misses.
Silva fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Tauafao wants to break free but Silva has control.
Silva throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Tauafao blocks it with crossed arms.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tauafao's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Tauafao dodges an elbow strike from Silva.
Silva with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Tauafao wants to break free but Silva has control.
Silva misses with a knee to the head.
Silva digs a right hand underneath Tauafao's ribcage. Tauafao let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Tauafao avoids the elbow strike from Silva, against the cage.
Silva tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Silva tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Tauafao's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Silva looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Silva scores with a hook to the body.
Silva tries to land knees in the clinch but Tauafao avoids the damage to the body.
Silva misses with a punch to the body.
Silva lands a left hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Tauafao's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
A short body shot lands from Silva as the two fighters clinch.
Silva looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Tauafao is trying to break free.
Silva missing with knees to the body.
Tauafao wants to get back to striking at distance but Silva won't allow it.
Silva throws a knee to the head but misses.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Tauafao.
Silva misses with the head strike.
Silva creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Silva comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Silva tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Tauafao will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Silva throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Silva lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Silva misses with a head kick.
Silva is looking to clinch.
Silva throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Silva swinging wilding here.
Tauafao circles away from the clinch attempt.
Tauafao is looking to clinch but Silva is avoiding it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tauafao throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Silva chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Silva misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Silva tries to clinch up.
Silva goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Silva thuds his right hand into Tauafao's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Tauafao avoids the body shot from Silva.
Tauafao with a hook.
Silva tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Silva is looking to clinch but Tauafao is avoiding it.
Silva looks to land a combination but Tauafao avoids it well.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Tauafao showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Silva.
Tauafao falls off balance throwing a combination
and Silva counters with a solid body kick.
Tauafao misses with a double jab.
Silva lands a high kick!
Tauafao blocks a head kick by Silva.
Silva throws a left and a right that both miss
and Tauafao counters with a series of strikes. Silva will be more careful next time no doubt.
Rickson Silva is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Silva, right into the meat.
Tauafao keeps the fight on the outside.
A shot to the body from Tauafao misses
and Silva counters with a big head kick but Tauafao shrugs it off.
A head kick misses from Silva.
Silva throws a head kick that misses.
Silva throws a head kick that half lands.
Silva throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Tauafao's head.
Silva takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Silva throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Silva avoids the head kick by Tauafao.
Tauafao with a jab.
Good standup being displayed there by Tauafao as he connects with a hook.
Silva wants to clinch
and Tauafao counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Tauafao misses with a looping right.
Tauafao throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Silva throws a sloppy head kick and Tauafao moves out of range easily.
Tauafao lands a jab to the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rickson Silva dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Silva lets loose with a powerful body kick. Tauafao will feel that in the morning.
Silva tries a head kick but it misses.
The fight stays on the outside here - Silva looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Silva throws a series of punches but Tauafao avoids them all with ease.
Silva throws a nice outside leg kick.
Silva tries to close the distance and clinch up but Tauafao swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Silva throws a right hand that Tauafao ducks under and follows up with a left that Tauafao also avoids with ease.
Rickson Silva is winning the standup battle so far.
A head kick misses from Silva.
Silva misses with a jab, cross combination.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Silva has taken the fight to the clinch.
Tauafao misses with the head strike.
Tauafao blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Silva throws a knee to the head but misses.
Silva misses with a short punch on the inside.
Silva throws an elbow that misses.
Silva throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Tauafao blocks it with crossed arms.
Silva lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Silva tries to work over Tauafao's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

Tauafao breaks the clinch.
Nice defenses there by Silva.
Tauafao swats away the attempt to clinch by Silva.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
A lazy left from Tauafao finds it's target.
Tauafao lands a nice hook to Silva's body. Silva takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Tauafao's corner calls for a 1-2. Tauafao obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Silva slips under a jab from Tauafao.
Tauafao throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Tauafao lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Tauafao tries to close the distance and clinch up but Silva swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Silva closes the distance but Tauafao moves to the side
and Silva takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

Silva is rocked!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Silva tries to clinch but Tauafao moves out of range.
Oh Silva is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Silva fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
A combination from Tauafao does no damage.
Tauafao walks forward and throws a big overhand right! Silva drops to the floor like a sack of potatoes! Tauafao swarms on him with more punches until the referee wrestles him away from Silva's unconscious body! Wow, that was brutal!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:33 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Sailosi Tauafao!