PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Roger Baumgartner (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Raimundo Sobral (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.

Baumgartner
vs
Sobral

183 cm
25
192 lbs
9 - 2 - 1

180 cm
26
202 lbs
13 - 5 - 0

Great wrestler
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Excellent grappler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Modern Wear Apparel

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 2 - 1, fighting out of Amsterdam, Roger Baumgartner!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Raimundo Sobral!
The judges for this bout are Jack Bonds, Don Winkell and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Baumgartner lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Sobral has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Sobral and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.

Baumgartner fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Sobral sprawls well initially but Baumgartner persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
We've been hearing that Baumgartner has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Baumgartner in particular looking to stall.
Baumgartner is thwarting Sobral's attempts to control the position.
Sobral avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Baumgartner.
Baumgartner tries to pass the half guard into mount. Sobral knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Sobral is not content to let Baumgartner control the position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Baumgartner not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Sobral has been taking part in the yoga sessions down at Rape Academy. Presumably he's going to look for a slick submission... Or maybe he's looking to avoid one.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Baumgartner missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Sobral wants to control but Baumgartner is keeping busy.
Ground and pound from Baumgartner.

Sobral looking for submissions off his back.
Baumgartner is trying to control the action in half guard but Sobral is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

Baumgartner looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.

Sobral is defending against the submission attempts here by Baumgartner.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Sobral trying to control but Baumgartner postures up.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Sobral keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Baumgartner throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Sobral to regain full guard.
Baumgartner not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Baumgartner looking to sit in guard and control but Sobral gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Sobral won't allow Baumgartner to sweep him here.
Baumgartner wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Baumgartner is trying to control the position from the bottom.

Baumgartner looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Baumgartner looking to control.

Baumgartner escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Sobral gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Baumgartner trying to control the position here.
Sobral stopping the sweep attempt from Baumgartner.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Sobral pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Baumgartner is keeping the position for now.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Baumgartner swings widly with a right hand
and Sobral counters with a left to the body.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Baumgartner.
Sobral keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Baumgartner cracks a nice hook into Sobral's ribs.
Roger Baumgartner seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Sobral dips to his left and cracks Baumgartner with an uppercut!
Baumgartner misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Sobral.
Baumgartner swings for the body but Sobral moves out of range.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Sobral! But no joy.
Baumgartner throws a body punch but Sobral moves out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Roger Baumgartner dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Baumgartner throws a wild body kick that Sobral sees coming a mile off.
Baumgartner misses with an uppercut
and Sobral counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Baumgartner avoids the head kick by Sobral.
Baumgartner takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Baumgartner is looking to wear down Sobral with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Baumgartner looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Sobral is fending him off so far but Baumgartner persists. Nope, Sobral circles away and we're back to standing.
A big right from Baumgartner misses.
Baumgartner lands a body shot.
Sobral gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Baumgartner.
Baumgartner misses with a straight left.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Baumgartner is defended easily by Sobral.
Sobral swings for the body but Baumgartner moves out of range.
Baumgartner just misses with a punch to the body.
Sobral counters with a body kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Baumgartner on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Sobral. Sobral obviously looking to wear him down.
Baumgartner throws a lazy right hand but Sobral sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Sobral with a hook.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Baumgartner.
Sobral counters with a body kick.
Baumgartner throws a left and a right that both miss
and Sobral connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Baumgartner is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Sobral.
Baumgartner lands with a good body shot.
Sobral keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Roger Baumgartner. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Sobral lands a lovely overhand right.
Sobral misses with a shot to the body
and Sobral takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Sobral cracks the inside of Baumgartner's front leg.
Nice defenses there by Sobral.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sobral slips under a jab from Baumgartner.
Baumgartner's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Sobral connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Baumgartner scrambles back to his feet.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Baumgartner keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Sobral.
Baumgartner throws a wild body kick that Sobral sees coming a mile off.
Baumgartner misses with a straight left.
Baumgartner needs to keep his hands up - Sobral had a free shot at his head there.
Baumgartner throws a body shot but no joy.
Sobral looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Baumgartner looks to score with a jab to the body but Sobral is just out of range.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Baumgartner. Sobral shrugs it off though.
Sobral slips a straight right by Baumgartner.
Sobral thows a left - swing and a miss!
Nice sprawl there from Sobral as Baumgartner shoots in.

Sobral gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Sobral utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Baumgartner postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Sobral bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Baumgartner's guard.

Baumgartner keeping full guard, as Sobral tries to pass.
Baumgartner is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Sobral trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Sobral missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Sobral forces his way into half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Baumgartner is defending against the submission attempts here by Sobral.
Sobral seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Baumgartner does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Baumgartner trying to control from the bottom.
Baumgartner is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

Sobral is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Baumgartner doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Sobral.
Baumgartner moves into full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Raimundo Sobral will probably get the nod - 10:9.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! 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.

Baumgartner scores with a sloppy right hand. Sobral should have avoided that one.
Sobral throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Baumgartner on the side of the head.
Sobral lands with a nice body kick.
Sobral swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
It looked like Baumgartner was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Sobral.
Sobral is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Baumgartner lands a jab.
Sobral on the wrong end of a nice hook.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Nice takedown defense from Baumgartner. No joy for Sobral on that attempt.
Baumgartner shoots in but Sobral avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Baumgartner misses the jab.
Sobral misses with an attempted mid kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Baumgartner dives in and grabs Sobral's left leg, looking for a takedown. Sobral pushes down on Baumgartner's head and hops out.
Baumgartner misses with a takedown attempt - Sobral sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Roger Baumgartner. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Baumgartner keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Sobral.
Sobral bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Baumgartner fails with a takedown attempt.
Baumgartner misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Sobral counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Baumgartner takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Baumgartner misses with a looping left.
Baumgartner throws the left hand but Sobral avoids the punch easily.
Sobral throws out a counter right but Baumgartner avoids it with no problem.
Sobral misses with a looping left.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Baumgartner throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Baumgartner swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Baumgartner throws a lazy uppercut

so Sobral counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Sobral works a leg free and moves into half guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sobral wants to take a breather but Baumgartner is having none of it.
Baumgartner is positioning himself well to prevent Sobral advancing to mount.
Baumgartner is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Sobral's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Sobral's back!
Sobral tries to roll but Baumgartner sticks to his back.
Baumgartner is looking to control Sobral but Sobral is wriggling around and keeping busy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sobral is defending well here and trying to improve his position.
Roger Baumgartner overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Baumgartner loading up with punches from the back mount - how long can Sobral hold on?
Sobral trying to control the hands but Baumgartner won't let him.

Baumgartner is looking for the choke from the back position but Sobral is controlling his hands well.
The crowd hopeful of a finish here - Baumgartner's supporters are on their feet, screaming for him to go for the rear naked choke.
Sobral tries to escape but Baumgartner has the hooks in and won't let him break free.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Baumgartner wants to control the position but Sobral frees himself and scrambles - Baumgartner manages to regain control in side control.
Sobral tries to buck Baumgartner off but Baumgartner is having none of it.

Baumgartner tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Baumgartner is looking to take a break and control but Sobral is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Sobral has one of Baumgartner's arms on lockdown, trying to prevent him from doing any damage.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Raimundo Sobral.
I think Sobral has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Jack Bonds scores the fight 30:28
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 29:29
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 28:29

The fight is ruled a draw!