PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Tex Williams (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Marcelo Rua (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Williams comes to the cage accompanied by I'm A Man. Tex Williams has the edge in experience - let's see if he can make that count tonight.

Williams
vs
Rua

190 cm
19
185 lbs
5 - 5 - 0

187 cm
18
185 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Knockout power

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 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Tex Williams!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Rua!
The judges for this bout are Felipe Paraventi, Paulo Santos and Leandro Rodrigues.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Williams fails to land with a series of punches.
Tex Williams seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Rua shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.

Williams takes the fight into the clinch.

Williams breaks the clinch.
Williams tries to clinch up but Rua circles away and keeps his distance.

Williams gets caught flat footed, as Rua shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Rua preventing the sweep.
Rua thows a big elbow that misses.
Williams looking to hit a scissor sweep but Rua is one step ahead there.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Williams is on top in guard.
Williams postures up in Rua's guard and throws a big left but Rua blocks it.
Rua trying to control the position.
Rua wants to sweep but no luck.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rua will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Williams content to stall in guard here.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Rua holds on and takes a little breather.

Williams thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Williams wants to control from the top but Rua keeps moving.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Williams misses the shot to the body.
Williams misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Rua shoots for a takedown but Williams saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Rua is looking to clinch.
Rua will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Tex Williams has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Marcelo Rua.
Williams throws a nice looking combination but Rua bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Williams misses with a few strikes there.
Williams is looking to clinch but Rua is avoiding it.
Williams misses with a few strikes there.
Williams is breathing heavily.
Williams stalks Rua and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Rua's face. Rua staggers backwards, shaken.

It looks like Marcelo Rua has been cut.
Rua avoids the body shot from Williams.
Rua shoots in and drives through. Williams sprawls well.
Williams lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Rua shoots in for a double leg but Williams sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Williams throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Rua fails with an attempt to clinch.
Williams fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Some wild striking there from Williams.

Rua has taken the fight to the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rua misses with a punch to the body.
Williams using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Rua has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.

Rua successfully pulls guard.
Rua is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Rua looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Williams throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Williams postures up.
Rua throws some sloppy strikes off his back.
Williams working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Rua's head.
Rua keeping moving, preventing Williams from controlling successfully.
Rua wants to control the position but Williams says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Williams is controlling the pace.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.

Rua gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Rua trying to keep a closed guard but Williams is proving a slippery customer.
Williams scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Rua 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.
Williams lands a couple of digs.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Williams lunges at Rua with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Rua's hand.
Tex Williams is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Williams throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Williams misses with a body shot.
Rua will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Rua misses with a double jab
and Williams counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Williams wants to clinch

and Rua counters with a shoot takedown. Williams fights it but they end up in guard.
Williams looking to hit a scissor sweep but Rua is one step ahead there.
Williams seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Rua wants to control from the top but Williams keeps moving.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rua pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Williams is keeping the position for now.

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

Williams has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Rua can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Rua looking to pass the guard.
Rua is looking to work some ground and pound but Williams has wrist control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Williams is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Williams seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.

Williams wants to work for an arm triangle but Rua is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.

Williams is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Rua is looking to escape.
Williams seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Williams lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Rua trying to hold on to Williams's head to control him but Williams postures up.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Williams lands a nice short elbow.
Williams seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Rua does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Rua is in trouble now - Williams has advanced to mount!
Williams landing punches.
Rua tries to reverse the position but Williams maintains control.

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.
Williams trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Williams prevents Rua from getting the reversal.
Rua is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Rua is squirming around, avoiding Williams's attempts to control the action.
Williams is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Rua can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Rua is looking to improve his position but Williams isn't that keen on the idea.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tex Williams dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Marcelo Rua's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Rua tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Williams tries to clinch but Rua moves out of range.
Williams works over Rua's head and body with a nice combination.
Williams connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.

Williams has managed to clinch.
Williams drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.

Williams lands a takedown into guard.
Williams trying to control the position from guard on top but Rua is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Rua is trying to control the position but Williams postures up.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Rua throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Williams keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Rua's head.
Tex Williams overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Williams postures up in Rua's guard and throws a big left but Rua blocks it.
Williams wants to control from the top but Rua keeps moving.
Rua wants to stand up but Williams is controlling him.
Rua 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.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Williams tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Williams's corner calls for a 1,2 combination and Williams duly obliges.
Williams tries to clinch but Rua moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.

Rua decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Rua wants to pass the guard but Williams is defending well.
Rua wants to lay and pray for a moment but Williams keeps working.
Williams misses with some strikes from the bottom.
Rua wants to lay and pray for a moment but Williams keeps working.
Williams trying to hold on to Rua's head to control him but Rua postures up.
Rua trying to control the action but Williams is working from the bottom.
Tex Williams is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Williams works his way to full guard. Good work.
Rua looking to pass the guard.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Rua closes the distance and clinches up with Williams, looking for a takedown. Rua pushes Williams against the cage but Williams circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Rua fails in his attempt to clinch.
Williams lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Williams scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Williams closes this distance looking for a takedown but Rua circles away.
Williams doesn't manage to clinch there - Rua circles away.
Williams throws a right and a left that both miss.
Rua takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Williams misses with a two punch combination.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rua shoots for a takedown but Williams saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Rua throws a wild body kick that Williams sees coming a mile off.
Williams lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Rua fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Tex Williams has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Marcelo Rua.
Williams cracks a nice hook into Rua's ribs.
Williams scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Rua tries for a takedown but Williams circles away easily

and Williams counters with a shoot takedown. Rua fights it but they end up in guard.
Williams is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Williams has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Rua trying to control the position.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Rua trying to control the position here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Tex Williams showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Williams has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Felipe Paraventi scores the fight 30:27
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 30:27
Judge Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Tex Williams!