PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Carlos Soto (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bobby Godfrey (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.

Soto
vs
Godfrey

182 cm
22
190 lbs
5 - 0 - 1

180 cm
22
195 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Bullet Proof System

Spartan Nutrition
MMA Hype 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 5 - 0 - 1, fighting out of New York, Carlos Soto!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Bobby Godfrey!
The judges for this bout are David Schapiro, Steve Montenegro and Lou da Vinci.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Soto ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Godfrey moves away.
Soto throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Godfrey wants to counter with a clinch but Soto pushes him away.
Soto jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Soto misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Godfrey.
Godfrey steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Soto.
Godfrey slips a jab from Soto.
Godfrey wants to counter the offense by Soto and move into the clinch position.
Godfrey moves out of range as Soto strikes.
Godfrey wants to counter the offense by Soto and move into the clinch position.
A jab from Soto misses.
Godfrey has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
A big left from Soto misses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Soto swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Soto with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Soto looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Soto throws a lazy right hand but Godfrey sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nice defenses there by Godfrey.
Soto throws a hook but Godfrey avoids it easily.
Soto throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Godfrey sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Godfrey is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
Carlos Soto seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Soto misses with a hook. Godfrey ducked under it nicely.
Godfrey wants to counter the offense by Soto and move into the clinch position.
The fighters circling - Soto throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Godfrey steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Soto.
Godfrey slips under a jab from Soto.
Soto throws a hook but Godfrey blocks it.
Soto loads up on a big right hand but Godfrey slips the punch.
Soto throws a jab when Godfrey was well out of range.
Godfrey tries to counter with a clinch but Soto shakes him off and moves away.
Soto swings widly with a right hand

and Godfrey counters by clinching up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Godfrey.
Godfrey misses with a hook from the clinch.
Godfrey lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Godfrey has Soto pressed against the cage, preventing Soto from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Soto lands a shoulder strike.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Soto blocks a punch to the side of the head.
A right hook to the body lands for Godfrey.

Soto breaks from the clinch.
The fighters circling - Soto throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Godfrey wants to counter with a clinch but Soto pushes him away.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Soto scores with a hook to the body. Godfrey takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Soto misses with an uppercut.
Godfrey slips under a jab.
Godfrey ducks under a wild hook from Soto.
A swing and a miss from Soto.
Godfrey wants to counter the offense by Soto and move into the clinch position.
Soto connects with a crisp jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Soto misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Godfrey.
Soto sets himself, and Godfrey steps forward looking for the clinch! Soto avoids it this time.
Soto misses with a straight right.
Soto throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Godfrey sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Godfrey slips under a jab from Soto.
Soto misses with an uppercut. Godfrey saw that one coming.
Godfrey tries to counter with a clinch but Soto shakes him off and moves away.
Soto throws a jab when Godfrey was well out of range.
Godfrey tries to counter with a clinch but Soto shakes him off and moves away.
Soto swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Godfrey tries to counter by closing the distance.
Soto throws out a powerful jab.
Nice body punch from Soto.
Soto swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nice defenses there by Godfrey.
Godfrey tries to counter with a clinch but Soto shakes him off and moves away.
A slow jab from Soto misses its intended target.
Godfrey tries to counter with a clinch but Soto shakes him off and moves away.
Godfrey takes one to the chin there.
The fighters circling - Soto throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Soto sets himself, and Godfrey steps forward looking for the clinch! Soto avoids it this time.
Soto jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Godfrey is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
Godfrey keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Godfrey walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Nice defenses there by Godfrey.
Soto is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Soto throws a hook but Godfrey blocks it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Carlos Soto dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Soto misses the jab.
Godfrey tries to counter by closing the distance.
Soto throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Soto sets himself, and Godfrey steps forward looking for the clinch! Soto avoids it this time.
Soto jabbing away but nothing is landing.
A jab from Soto misses.
Godfrey wants to counter with a clinch but Soto pushes him away.
Soto misses with a body punch

and Godfrey holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Soto tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Soto wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Godfrey has him pressed against the cage.
Soto is trying to push Godfrey away but Godfrey has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Soto tries to break the clinch but Godfrey is controlling the position.
Godfrey misses with a body punch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Soto breaks from the clinch.
Soto lands with a nice body punch.
Soto looks to throw the jab but Godfrey is out of range.
Soto misses with a hook. Godfrey ducked under it nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Donk. Soto catches Godfrey right on the button with a cross.
Soto throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Godfrey sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Godfrey wants to counter with a clinch but Soto pushes him away.
A big left from Soto misses.
Godfrey steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Soto.
Soto misses with a hook.
A big right from Soto misses.
Godfrey wants to counter the offense by Soto and move into the clinch position.
A big right from Soto misses.
Godfrey wants to counter with a clinch but Soto pushes him away.
Soto ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Godfrey moves away.
Soto misses with a double jab.
Godfrey is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
The crowd cheers as Soto lands an impressive looking overhand right. Godfrey doesn't seem phased though.
Soto jabs Godfrey to the body, keeping him at a distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Soto throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Godfrey steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Soto.
Soto jabbing away but nothing is landing.
A big left from Soto misses.
Soto ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Godfrey moves away.
Godfrey wants to counter the offense by Soto and move into the clinch position.
Soto throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Godfrey displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Soto throws out the jab.
Godfrey is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
Soto throws a right and a left that Godfrey avoids nicely.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Nice cross by Soto.
Soto throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Soto loads up on a big right hand but Godfrey slips the punch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big left from Soto misses.
Soto throws a poor cross that misses

and Godfrey counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Godfrey stalling against the cage.

Godfrey decides to pull guard.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Godfrey can do anything to dispel that myth.
Godfrey looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Soto postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Soto wants to control from the top but Godfrey keeps moving.
Soto wants to stand but Godfrey has a closed guard, so he can't escape.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Soto wants to pass the guard but Godfrey is keeping the position.
Godfrey keeping moving, preventing Soto from controlling successfully.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Nice uppercut there from Soto.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Soto looks to score with a jab to the body but Godfrey is just out of range.
Godfrey wants to counter with a clinch but Soto pushes him away.
Soto is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Godfrey can do to turn this around?
Soto throws a jab when Godfrey was well out of range.
Godfrey steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Soto.
Soto jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Godfrey is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Carlos Soto dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Soto throws a hook but Godfrey blocks it.
Nice defenses there by Godfrey.
Soto rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Godfrey moves into the clinch.
Soto lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Godfrey backwards.
Godfrey is leaning against Soto and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Soto.
Soto is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Godfrey prevents a body shot from Soto.
Still in the clinch, Godfrey scores with a nice short uppercut.
Godfrey stalling the fight.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Godfrey prevents Soto from breaking the clinch.
Godfrey misses with a punch on the inside.
Soto tries to circle away but Godfrey has him pinned against the cage.
Godfrey scores with a nice hook to the head.
Bobby Godfrey seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Godfrey is looking to control Soto's arms but Soto gets an underhook and turns him. Now Godfrey has his back to the cage.
Godfrey fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A bit of stalling here from Godfrey.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Godfrey is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Soto scores with a nice hook to the head.
Soto lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Godfrey changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Soto fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Carlos Soto is winning the standup battle so far.
Soto lands an overhand right.
Soto misses the jab.
Godfrey wants to counter the offense by Soto and move into the clinch position.
Soto misses with a straight right.
Godfrey steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Soto.
A telegraphed right hand from Soto misses the target.
Soto swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Godfrey tries to counter with a clinch but Soto shakes him off and moves away.
Bobby Godfrey has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from Soto. Godfrey does a little dance to reset his feet.
Godfrey wants to counter the offense by Soto and move into the clinch position.
Soto waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Godfrey.
Godfrey tries to counter by closing the distance.
Godfrey moves away from the strike by Soto.
Godfrey tries to counter with a clinch but Soto shakes him off and moves away.
Soto misses with a body shot

and Godfrey counters by clinching up.
Soto tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Godfrey's elbow.
Godfrey drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Soto gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Soto goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A short right from Godfrey on the inside.
Godfrey misses with some punches.
Godfrey lands with a left to the head.
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!
A body shot lands from Godfrey.
A head punch on the inside from Godfrey fails to land.

Soto manages to break the clinch.
Soto misses the shot to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Soto lands a nice shot to the body.
Soto digs a good hook to Godfrey's body.
Soto misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Godfrey.
Soto pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Soto throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Godfrey is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
A slow jab from Soto misses its intended target.
Soto misses with a looping right.
Soto throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Godfrey staying out of range there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Soto throws a hook but Godfrey blocks it.
Godfrey tries to counter with a clinch but Soto shakes him off and moves away.
Godfrey drops his hands momentarily and Soto takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
A swing and a miss from Soto.
Soto misses with a hook.
Soto misses with a looping right.
Godfrey wants to counter the offense by Soto and move into the clinch position.
Soto fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Godfrey manages to avoid it.
Godfrey moves away from the strike by Soto.
Godfrey wants to counter the offense by Soto and move into the clinch position.
Godfrey keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A punch combination from Soto misses.
Soto digs a good hook to Godfrey's body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Carlos Soto showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Soto, 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 David Schapiro scores the fight 30:27
Judge Steve Montenegro scores the fight 30:27
Judge Lou da Vinci scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Carlos Soto!
A relieved looking Carlos Soto thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.