PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Flavio Sandoval (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ben Gatho (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Gatho comes into a darkened arena with his song building. 666 - Bomba! kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! 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.

Sandoval
vs
Gatho

182 cm
32
178 lbs
29 - 17 - 0

175 cm
31
176 lbs
21 - 13 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Excellent grappler
World class MT
Good gas tank

GREEN!160

KAISER

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 29 - 17 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Flavio Sandoval!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 21 - 13 - 1, fighting out of New York, Ben Gatho!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Frank Antenori and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A shot to the body from Sandoval misses
and Gatho counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Gatho misses with a body shot.
Sandoval looks to throw the jab but Gatho is out of range.
Sandoval throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Flavio Sandoval seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Gatho uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Sandoval.
Gatho misses with a wild body shot.
Sandoval lands with a thumping leg kick.
Sandoval checks the leg kick nicely there.
Sandoval throws a body punch but Gatho moves out of range.
Gatho throws a leg kick but Sandoval moved away.
Sandoval misses with an uppercut. Gatho saw that one coming.
Sandoval throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
The fighters circling - Sandoval throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Sandoval fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Gatho manages to avoid it.
Gatho takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Sandoval thows a body shot but no joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sandoval dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Nice shot by Sandoval.
Sandoval thows a body shot but no joy.
Sandoval with a nice cross.
Gatho takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Sandoval throws a hook but Gatho avoids it easily.
A nice inside leg kick there by Sandoval. That's going to slow Gatho down.
Sandoval throws a hook but Gatho avoids it easily.
Gatho takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Sandoval is looking to score with low kicks.
Gatho fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Sandoval 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.
Sandoval throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Gatho uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Sandoval.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gatho blocks a jab.
A nice inside leg kick there by Sandoval. That's going to slow Gatho down.
Sandoval throws a leg kick
and Gatho counters with a straight right hand.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sandoval swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Sandoval throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Gatho lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Gatho uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Sandoval.
Sandoval just misses with a punch to the body.
Gatho bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Gatho ducks under a wild hook from Sandoval.
Gatho dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Sandoval. That did some damage!
A kick lands to the mid section there for Gatho.
Sandoval dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Gatho. That did some damage!
Gatho takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Sandoval throws the left hand but Gatho avoids the punch easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sandoval swings for the body but Gatho moves out of range.
Sandoval moves out of range of the body kick from Gatho.
Decent striking displayed by Sandoval there.
Sandoval tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Gatho was well out of range. Poor timing from Sandoval.
Gatho checks the leg kick nicely there.
Sandoval throws a leg kick
and Gatho counters with a slapping leg kick.
Gatho uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Sandoval.
Sandoval ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Gatho moves away.
Gatho uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Sandoval.
Crunch! Gatho slams his shin into Sandoval's torso.
Sandoval swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Sandoval throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Sandoval misses with a shot to the body
and Gatho counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Sandoval thows a left - swing and a miss!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gatho lands a jab to Sandoval's midsection.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A slow jab from Sandoval misses its intended target.
Sandoval throws a quick inside leg kick.
Sandoval misses with a wild body shot.
Sandoval misses with a looping left.
Sandoval looks to land a right hand but Gatho moved out of range.
Sandoval fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Gatho has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
A shot to the body from Sandoval misses
and Gatho counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Gatho ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Sandoval lands a body shot.
Gatho shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Gatho misses with a body kick.
A bone on bone clash there as Sandoval blocks the leg kick.
Sandoval takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Gatho uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Sandoval.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Flavio Sandoval dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Gatho blocks a low kick nicely.
Sandoval connects with an inside leg kick.
Sandoval misses with a low kick.
Sandoval throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Sandoval looks to land a left hand but Gatho moved out of range nicely.
Sandoval scores with a crisp jab that stopped Gatho in his tracks.
Gatho connects with a leg kick. Sandoval looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Sandoval looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Sandoval closes the distance and clinches up with Gatho, looking for a takedown. Sandoval pushes Gatho against the cage but Gatho circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Sandoval cracks Gatho with a good jab.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Sandoval checks a leg kick.
Gatho on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Gatho uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Sandoval.
Gatho lands a glancing blow to the side of Sandoval's head.
Sandoval cracks a nice hook into Gatho's ribs.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sandoval throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Gatho sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Sandoval misses with a looping left.
Gatho tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Gatho keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Sandoval throws a wild body kick that Gatho sees coming a mile off.
Gatho is looking to score with low kicks.
Sandoval looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
A low kick from Sandoval is predictable there
enabling Gatho to counter with a crisp jab.
Sandoval connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Gatho bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Sandoval feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Gatho's calf.
Sandoval misses with a body shot.
Gatho closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Nice cross by Sandoval.
Gatho's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Gatho avoids a low kick by using good footwork.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sandoval buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Gatho digs a good body shot into Sandoval's ribs.
Sandoval checks a leg kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sandoval throws a good cross that connects.
Gatho dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Sandoval. That did some damage!
Sandoval tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Sandoval's jab looks to have found its range, popping Gatho under the eye.
Sandoval moves out of range of the body kick.
Sandoval lands a leg kick that knocks Gatho off balance momentarily.
Gatho lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Sandoval scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Gatho lands a leg kick that knocks Sandoval off balance momentarily.
Sandoval throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Sandoval attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Flavio Sandoval is winning the standup battle so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gatho digs a good hook to Sandoval's body.
Sandoval uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Gatho.
Sandoval throws the left hand but Gatho avoids the punch easily.
Gatho blocks a jab.
Sandoval throws a jab but it's blocked by Gatho.
Gatho misses the shot to the body.
Sandoval misses with an uppercut.
Nice defenses there by Gatho.
Gatho looks for a takedown but Sandoval sprawls well.
A nice leg kick lands there from Gatho.
Sandoval lands a glancing blow to the side of Gatho's head.
Sandoval with a jab.
A good leg kick by Sandoval.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gatho stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Sandoval.
Gatho lands a jab to Sandoval's midsection.
Sandoval throws a front kick aimed at Gatho's knee but Gatho avoids it well.
Gatho digs a good hook to Sandoval's body.
Gatho takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
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!
Gatho dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Sandoval. That did some damage!
Sandoval takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Sandoval looks to score with a jab to the body but Gatho is just out of range.
Sandoval connects with a looping right hand.
Gatho 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.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Gatho misses with a low kick.
Gatho ducks under a wild hook from Sandoval.
Sandoval throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Gatho throws a sloppy head kick and Sandoval moves out of range easily.
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 Flavio Sandoval will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Gatho blocks a jab.
Gatho pivots, looking for a leg kick but Sandoval is out of range and Gatho settles back down.
Gatho misses with an attempted mid kick.
Sandoval thuds his right hand into Gatho's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.

Sandoval gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Sandoval seems to have improved his submission grappling technique since last time we saw him. Let's see if he can pull off a submission.
Gatho stopping the sweep attempt from Sandoval.
Sandoval controls Gatho momentarily but Gatho frees himself.
Sandoval is pulling down on Gatho's head. It's preventing any offense from Gatho, at least for the moment.
Sandoval wants to improve his position but instead Gatho has moved into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gatho lands strikes from half guard.
Sandoval is pressing down on Gatho's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.

Sandoval has an omoplata and is looking to use it perhaps as a submission or perhaps to transition. Gatho is in a bit of discomfort here, but he's managed to free himself and has dived into side control! That didn't work out too well for Sandoval.
Gatho working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Gatho works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
Sandoval is trying to get back to half guard.
Ben Gatho has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sandoval wants to control but Gatho postures up.
Sandoval is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Sandoval is working hard here to advance position.
Sandoval is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Gatho's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
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!
Gatho tries to pass the half guard into mount. Sandoval knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sandoval moves into full guard.
Sandoval is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Gatho pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Sandoval is keeping the position for now.
Sandoval tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Gatho pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Sandoval is keeping the position for now.
Gatho is still trying to improve position.
Flavio Sandoval is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gatho lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Gatho scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Sandoval utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Sandoval pulls Gatho in close to prevent any damage.
Gatho stopping the sweep attempt from Sandoval.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Gatho postures up in Sandoval's guard and throws a big left but Sandoval blocks it.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Ben Gatho.
I think Sandoval 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:28
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Flavio Sandoval!
Flavio Sandoval managed to slip a mention for his sponsors, FFN Vegas-Laundry, into his post fight interview.