PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Joe Shmoe (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Antonio Margarito (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighter's entrance songs getting the crowd jumping here.

Shmoe
vs
Margarito

171 cm
22
159 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

179 cm
23
160 lbs
2 - 5 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Cuts easily

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Knockout power

Alpha-Omega

Team S.W.A.T.

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Joe Shmoe!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Antonio Margarito!
The judges for this bout are Matti Vanhoillinen, Marco Blurström and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Shmoe fails with a takedown attempt.

Shmoe drives through and clinches with Margarito against the ropes.
Shmoe changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Margarito fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Shmoe shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Margarito as he jumps to the side.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Joe Shmoe. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Shmoe tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Shmoe throws a right and a left that Margarito avoids nicely.
Shmoe misses with a head kick.
Margarito works over Shmoe's head and body with a nice combination.

It looks like Joe Shmoe has been cut.
Margarito misses with the combination.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Shmoe.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Margarito tries to buck Shmoe off but Shmoe is having none of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Margarito is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
Margarito is looking to control Shmoe's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Margarito avoid being mounted?

Shmoe is working for an americana but Margarito has been sneaky and has managed to get back to half guard, whilst Shmoe was thinking about the submission.
Shmoe has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Margarito is proving hard to escape from.
Margarito keeping moving, preventing Shmoe from controlling successfully.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Shmoe tries to stand but Margarito is controlling from the bottom.
Shmoe wants to control from the top but Margarito keeps moving.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Margarito is on top in guard.
Shmoe controls Margarito momentarily but Margarito frees himself.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Margarito wants to control from the top but Shmoe keeps moving.
Margarito pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Shmoe is keeping the position for now.
Margarito wants to control from the top but Shmoe keeps moving.
Shmoe looking to hit a scissor sweep but Margarito is one step ahead there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Margarito works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Shmoe is trying to stand up here but Margarito is controlling him well.
Margarito seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Shmoe does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Margarito chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Shmoe falls off balance throwing a combination
letting Margarito counter with a right hand.
Shmoe gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Margarito counters with a nice body shot.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Antonio Margarito dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Joe Shmoe's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the ring so we can get back down to business.

Margarito moves out of range of the strikes.
Margarito misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Shmoe.
Shmoe fails with the takedown
and Margarito counters with a series of strikes. Shmoe will be more careful next time no doubt.
Shmoe throws a sloppy head kick and Margarito moves out of range easily.
No luck for Shmoe with that takedown attempt.

Shmoe closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Shmoe is thwarting Margarito's attempts to control the position.
Margarito gets full guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Margarito looking to hit a scissor sweep but Shmoe is one step ahead there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shmoe wants to control from the top but Margarito keeps moving.
Shmoe wanted to stand there but Margarito had control of the position.
Shmoe is fighting to break Margarito's control of his arms but Margarito is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
Let's hope that Margarito has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Shmoe wants to stand but Margarito has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Margarito tries to land a sweep but no joy.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Shmoe is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A head kick misses from Shmoe.
Shmoe is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Shmoe shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Margarito counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Joe Shmoe. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Shmoe swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Margarito connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Joe Shmoe is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Margarito jabs at Shmoe's body.
Shmoe tries to bum rush Margarito with a series of wild strikes but Margarito uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Shmoe wants to clinch but Margarito slips to the side
and Margarito counters with a right hand to the body.
No joy there for Margarito, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Shmoe shoots in for a double leg but Margarito sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Shmoe stuffs the takedown.
A punch combination from Shmoe misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Shmoe shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Shmoe was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Margarito is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Shmoe wants to control the pace but Margarito is squirming around nicely.
Shmoe tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Margarito is squirming around, avoiding Shmoe's attempts to control the action.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Antonio Margarito will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Joe Shmoe's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're 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.

Shmoe shoots in looking for a takedown. Margarito tries to sprawl out of it but Shmoe keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the ropes. Margarito manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Margarito misses with a wild body shot.
Shmoe throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Shmoe with a poor takedown
enabling Margarito to counter with a crisp jab.
Shmoe fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Joe Shmoe. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Margarito takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Shmoe shoots in looking for a takedown. Margarito tries to sprawl out of it but Shmoe keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the ropes. Margarito manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Shmoe shoots in for a takedown but Margarito shows good takedown defense.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shmoe shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Margarito as he avoids it easily.
Left hook, right uppercut from Margarito.
Margarito throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Shmoe.
Shmoe darts in trying to clinch
and Margarito counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Shmoe pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Shmoe throws a combination that misses

and Margarito counters with a shoot takedown. Shmoe fights it but they end up in guard.
Shmoe wants to sweep here but Margarito controlling him for the moment.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Shmoe keeping moving, preventing Margarito from controlling successfully.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Margarito is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
Margarito throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Shmoe punching from the bottom - just letting Margarito know he's still in a fight.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Margarito wants to pass the guard but Shmoe is keeping the position.
Shmoe working a defensive guard here.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Shmoe throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Shmoe swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Margarito counters with a one-two to the body.
Shmoe tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Margarito counters with a nice uppercut.
Shmoe fails with the takedown
and Margarito counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Shmoe tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Margarito paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Joe Shmoe has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Shmoe tries for a takedown but Margarito circles away easily

so Margarito counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Margarito stops Shmoe from standing up.
Shmoe keeping moving, preventing Margarito from controlling successfully.
Margarito is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Shmoe wants to sweep here but Margarito controlling him for the moment.
Antonio Margarito is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

Shmoe looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.

And that's the end of the fight!
Antonio Margarito comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Margarito winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight 27:30
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Antonio Margarito!