PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Francis Solis (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bam Bam (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.

Solis
vs
Bam

225 cm
18
177 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

225 cm
25
170 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Francis Solis!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Bam Bam!
The judges for this bout are Dmitry Maklakov, Illya Tyunina and Igor Prikhodko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Bam closes the distance and clinches.

Solis pulls guard successfully.
Solis trying to keep a closed guard but Bam is proving a slippery customer.
Solis is really struggling to control Bam but he's trying to hold on to the position.

Bam got a little sloppy there for a moment and Solis has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Bam has managed to get both his arms back between Solis's legs - danger averted.

Bam gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Bam shoots in for a takedown but Solis shows good takedown defense.
Solis really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Bam shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Solis is trying to defend but Bam finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Bam sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Solis defending well though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Solis trying to hold on to Bam's head to control him but Bam postures up.

Solis looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Solis is trying to get back to full guard.

Solis is defending against the submission attempts here by Bam.
Nice strikes from Bam there.

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.
Bam lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.

Bam is trying to work for a kimura but Solis is defending well.
Solis has his hands clasped together around Bam's back. He's all about the action.
Bam wants to advance to full mount but Solis doesn't think that's going to happen and regains full guard instead.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

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

Bam stands up and waves to Solis to follow him.
Bam tries to score a power double leg takedown but Solis sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Bam somewhat.
Bam fails with a takedown attempt.
Francis Solis has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Bam Bam.
Solis is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

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.
Bam shoots in looking for a takedown but Solis manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Bam's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Solis thinks about countering with a head kick.
Bam looks winded!
Solis shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Solis closes the distance and clinches up with Bam, looking for a takedown. Solis pushes Bam against the cage but Bam circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Bam is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.

Bam moves into the clinch successfully.
Solis drops down looking for an ankle pick but Bam pulls his leg out and moves away.

Bam rushes Solis and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Solis is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Solis jumps guard but Bam turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bam Bam dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Excellent takedown into side control there by Bam.
Bam working away.
Bam landing a few strikes.
Solis struggling a bit here.
Bam taking a breather here.
Bam has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Solis pushes Bam away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Bam gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Solis is not content to let Bam control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Solis can't do much from the bottom here.
Bam controlling the position from side mount.
Solis wants to control but Bam postures up.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.

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.
Solis is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Bam is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Bam tries a head kick but it misses.
Solis shoots in for a takedown but Bam shows good takedown defense.
Solis shoots for a double leg takedown but Bam sprawls well. He's pushed Solis's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Solis changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Bam tries to avoid it but Solis manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Bam to the ground. Bam escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Francis Solis. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bam shoots in looking for a takedown. Solis tries to sprawl out of it but Bam keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Solis manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Solis is looking to counter with a shot to the body.

Bam closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Solis quickly recovers to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Bam escapes and gets back to his feet.

Bam shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Solis manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Bam stays in close to Solis's body and controls the position.

Solis has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Bam can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Bam Bam has got the better of the ground game so far.
Bam sitting in guard, not really doing much.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Solis trying to keep a closed guard but Bam is proving a slippery customer.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Bam is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bam Bam showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Bam avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Bam avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Bam gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Solis cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Bam will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Bam is defended easily by Solis.
Bam takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Solis rushes Bam and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Solis has Bam pressed against the cage, preventing Bam from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Bam is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Solis gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Francis Solis has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Bam Bam.
Solis tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Bam just stands there and leans against the cage.

Bam gets control of Solis's arms and successfully pulls guard. Bam will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
Bam controlling the position.
Bam avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Bam trying to keep a closed guard but Solis is proving a slippery customer.
Bam avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Solis throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Solis throws an elbow that misses. Bam uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Solis's guard. Nice move by Bam!

Solis trying to control the position here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bam postures up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Bam working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Solis knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Bam on the ground.

Solis has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Bam can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Bam working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Bam trying to control the position from guard on top but Solis is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bam cracks Solis with a solid left hand.
Bam sitting in guard here, content to control.
Bam is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Solis wants to stand up but Bam is controlling him.
Bam trying to control but Solis is working from the bottom.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Solis misses with a head kick.
Bam lands a jab to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bam with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Bam circles away from the clinch attempt.

Bam clinches with his opponent.

Bam successfully pulls guard.
Solis stopping the sweep attempt from Bam.
Solis loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Solis keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Bam's head.
Solis throwing strikes from guard but Bam blocks nicely.
Bam is trying to control the position but Solis postures up.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Solis postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Francis Solis has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Bam Bam is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Bam avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

And that's the end of the fight!
Bam Bam comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Bam has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 27:30
Judge Illya Tyunina scores the fight 27:30
Judge Igor Prikhodko scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Bam Bam!
After winning the bout, Bam Bam thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.