PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Frankie Riggs (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Paulo Cortana (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). On his way into the cage it seems that Frankie Riggs has been attacked by a crazed fan! It looks like it might have been the just bleed guy! Luckily Frankie Riggs seems to be OK! I thought that lunatic was in prison!?

Riggs
vs
Cortana

213 cm
18
214 lbs
1 - 3 - 0

180 cm
18
198 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid 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 1 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Frankie Riggs!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Paulo Cortana!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Sano, Hirohito Nitta and Yuuki Gou.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cortana tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Riggs throws a shot to the body.
Cortana with a hook.

It looks like Frankie Riggs has been cut.
Riggs really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Riggs will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Riggs shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Cortana but Cortana pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Cortana shoots in and drives through. Riggs sprawls well.

Riggs shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Cortana napping and manages to drive through into side control!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Cortana tries to buck Riggs off but Riggs is having none of it.
Cortana keeps trying to improve his position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Riggs throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
You can see the frustration on Cortana's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Riggs working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Cortana dodges the ground and pound from Riggs.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Cortana is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but Riggs is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
Cortana tries to hold on but Riggs postures up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cortana is trying to avoid being dragged into an even worse position than he's already in but Riggs is staying active.
Riggs with a couple of short strikes.
Riggs will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Riggs prevents Cortana from getting the reversal.
Riggs pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Cortana wants to control but Riggs is having none of it.
Cortana holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Riggs tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Riggs fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Riggs fails to take his opponent's back.
Riggs working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Riggs looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Cortana tries to hold on but Riggs postures up.
Cortana is desperately trying to improve his position but Riggs has a good base and remains in mount.
Cortana avoids a series of strikes thrown by Riggs.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cortana holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Riggs tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.
Cortana tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Riggs punishing his opponent with strikes.
Cortana tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Cortana tries to hold on but Riggs postures up.
Cortana gets back to half guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Cortana kicks off Riggs and gets to his feet.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Riggs changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Cortana tries to avoid it but Riggs manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Cortana to the ground. Cortana escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.

Cortana clinches up against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Frankie Riggs dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Frankie Riggs's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Cortana shoots in looking for a takedown. Riggs tries to sprawl out of it but Cortana keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Riggs manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.

Cortana drives through and clinches with Riggs against the cage.
A short right from Riggs on the inside.
Cortana tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Riggs smiles and moves away.
No luck for Riggs with that takedown attempt.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Cortana clinches up with Riggs and pushes him back against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knees in the clinch landing for Riggs.
Riggs looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.

Cortana jumps guard and drags Riggs to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Cortana working a defensive guard here.
Riggs postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Cortana looking for a sweep. Not yet Cortana, not yet.
Riggs has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

Cortana is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Riggs stops Cortana from standing up.
Cortana is breathing heavily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Cortana looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Riggs's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Cortana is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Riggs is looking for a sweep. Cortana is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Riggs wants to get back to his feet.
Riggs gets full guard.
Cortana wants to control from the top but Riggs keeps moving.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Riggs is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Riggs can't keep his opponent in guard - Cortana advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Riggs misses with some strikes from the bottom.
Cortana content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Riggs is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Cortana can do to turn this around?

Riggs looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Cortana.
Frankie Riggs has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Paulo Cortana.
Riggs connects with a body shot.
Cortana throws a head kick that misses

and Riggs counters with a takedown into side control.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Check out the look on Riggs's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!
Riggs in side control, throwing shots but Cortana defends.
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 Frankie Riggs will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Frankie Riggs's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Riggs fails to land the takedown.
Riggs defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Cortana.
Cortana fails with a takedown attempt.
As Cortana tries to get set, Riggs tries to push him back and clinch up but Cortana manages to avoid the attempt.
Cortana shoots in but Riggs avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Frankie Riggs has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Paulo Cortana.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Riggs closes the distance and clinches up with Cortana, looking for a takedown. Riggs pushes Cortana against the cage but Cortana circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Cortana is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
Cortana slaps away a takedown attempt from Riggs, before circling back to the center of the mat.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Cortana shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Riggs napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Cortana takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Cortana tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.

Cortana goes for an armbar here - this could be all over! But no, Riggs has escaped beautifully and is now on top in side control! Oh, that's unlucky for Cortana but great work by Riggs.
Riggs lands a nice forearm strike.
Riggs working the ground and pound from side control.
Cortana defending against the ground and pound.
Cortana can't do much from the bottom here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cortana tries to escape but Riggs is in control.
Riggs wants to control but Cortana is keeping him busy.
Riggs fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Riggs fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Cortana is trying to get back to half guard.
Cortana is trying to control Riggs's posture but Riggs avoids it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Riggs in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
Cortana is looking to regain half guard here but Riggs keeps moving and retains side control.
Cortana on the wrong end of some ground and pound.
Cortana parries the strikes from Riggs easily there. Riggs is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Cortana to escape.
Cortana is looking for a sweep.
Riggs working the head with strikes.
Riggs lands some shots froms side control.
Cortana manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Riggs works his way to full guard. Good work.
Cortana preventing the sweep.
Cortana stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Riggs swivels though and keeps the full guard.

The fighters are working up against the cage. Riggs manages to wriggle his way back to his feet, so the fighters are now clinched against the cage.

Riggs manages to break the clinch.
Cortana tries to clinch but Riggs is having none of it.
Cortana needs to keep his hands up - Riggs had a free shot at his head there.
This has been an exciting period of action!
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Riggs shoots in looking for a takedown. Cortana tries to sprawl out of it but Riggs keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Cortana manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.

And that's the end of the fight!
Frankie Riggs showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Riggs, 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 Shigeki Sano scores the fight 30:27
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 30:27
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Frankie Riggs!