PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Gustavo Safra (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rogerio Rodrigues (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rogerio Rodrigues will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Safra
vs
Rodrigues

190 cm
23
275 lbs
4 - 5 - 0

225 cm
22
300 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Experienced

Dangerous GnP
Decent boxing
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Gustavo Safra!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Rogerio Rodrigues!
The judges for this bout are Leandro Rodrigues, Edson Gomes and Seu Braga.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Rodrigues lands a left and a right that sends Safra crashing to the canvas! Rodrigues dives into mount looking to finish!

Safra is rocked!

It looks like Gustavo Safra has been cut.
Safra looks exhausted already! Oh dear, he should have come in in better shape than this!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Rodrigues tries to control but Safra wriggling away.
Oh Safra is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Rodrigues might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Safra kaven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
Safra seems to have got his legs back now.
Safra could do with loosing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.

Despite being in the dominant position, Rogerio Rodrigues just isn't active enough and the referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Rodrigues misses with a takedown attempt - Safra sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
A jab-cross combination lands for Rodrigues and sends Safra crashing to the mat! Rodrigues follows him down to the mat - Safra regains half guard but he's not out of trouble yet!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rodrigues wants to stand up but Safra has a hold of him and won't allow it.
Safra is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Rodrigues missing with the ground and pound from half guard.

Rodrigues stands up from half guard... He's had enough of that ground malarky for the time being.
Rodrigues misses with a series of wild punches.
Rodrigues lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Safra backs up against the cage.
Rogerio Rodrigues seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Rodrigues swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Safra throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.

Safra moves into the clinch.
Rodrigues has had enough of the clinch but Safra keeps him there for the moment.
Rodrigues has had enough of the clinch but Safra keeps him there for the moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Safra escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Rodrigues falls off balance throwing a combination

so Safra counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Rodrigues 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.
Safra stops Rodrigues from standing up.
Safra trying to control the position from guard on top but Rodrigues is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Safra is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Rodrigues wants to stand and escape but Safra is having none of it.
Safra slips nicely into half guard.
Rodrigues is trying to stand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rodrigues throws a strike from the bottom that misses.
Safra keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Rodrigues is looking to escape.
Safra content to control rather than advance.
Rodrigues is in trouble now - Safra has advanced to mount!
Rodrigues is really trying hard to get back to his feet.
Safra controlling his opponent.
Rodrigues is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Safra postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Rodrigues looks a forlorn figure.
Rodrigues wants to try and get back to his feet.
Safra controlling from the full mount.
Rodrigues wants to use the cage to get back to his feet here.
Safra controlling the pace for now.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Safra trying to control but Rodrigues is having none of it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rogerio Rodrigues dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Gustavo Safra's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Safra shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Rodrigues but Rodrigues pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Rodrigues moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Rogerio Rodrigues seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Rodrigues throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Safra counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Rodrigues!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Rodrigues wants to try and get back to his feet.
Safra tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Rodrigues is trying to get to the cage to help him get back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Safra content just to control the position here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rodrigues is trying to get back to his feet but can't.
Rodrigues can't escape the position.
Safra controlling from the full mount.
Rodrigues is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Safra cracks Rodrigues with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Safra is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Rodrigues is in a horrible position here. Safra smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Safra landing punches.
Rodrigues is trying to stand.
Safra controlling the position easily from mount.

Safra looking to isolate an arm here. Rodrigues doesn't see it coming and as Safra extends the arm, he's forced to tap out! Nice submission by Safra!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:02 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Gustavo Safra!