PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Jark Reepal (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and mr T (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Jark Reepal has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Reepal
vs
T

171 cm
20
157 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

187 cm
18
155 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid boxing
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Jark Reepal!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, mr T!
The judges for this bout are Mauricio Rocha, Thiago Cunha and Alexandre Firmino.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Reepal tries to clinch up.
Reepal tries to clinch up.
Reepal shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says T as he avoids it easily.
T slips under a jab from Reepal.
Reepal fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Reepal swings for the body but T moves out of range.
Reepal missing with a left hand there. T was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
T misses with the combination.

Reepal has taken the fight to the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
T is trying to break the clinch but Reepal has him pressed against the cage.

Reepal breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Reepal slips a straight right by T.
Reepal tries to close the distance and clinch up but T swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Reepal walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Reepal misses with a wild combination.
Reepal shoots for a takedown but T saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.

Reepal rushes T and presses him up against the cage.

Reepal breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
T rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Reepal moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
T wants to clinch.

Reepal decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
T tries to kick Reepal off but Reepal keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Reepal seems to have lost interest with the ground game and is thinking about standing back up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Reepal looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
T trying to control but Reepal postures up.
T is looking to escape.
Reepal is trying to get back to his feet now but his leg is trapped.
T is looking to escape.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Reepal loads up on a big right hand but T slips the punch.
T shoots in looking for a takedown. Reepal tries to sprawl out of it but T keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Reepal manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
T shoots in but Reepal avoids the takedown attempt easily.
T looks gassed!

Reepal changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. T looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
T is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Reepal off and has taken his back!
T gets his hands free as Reepal looks to control.
Even with his hooks in, T manages to miss with strikes from the back.
T keeps control of the position easily here as Reepal tries to buck him off.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
T trying desperately to keep hold of the dominant position.
Reepal trying to get back to his feet but T is in full control for now.
T wants to control but Reepal is keeping busy.

T has his opponent's back and is working for the choke.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Reepal trying to get back to his feet but T is in full control for now.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jark Reepal dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

A decent looking cross lands there for Reepal.
T shoots in for a double leg but Reepal sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
T doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Reepal counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.

Reepal scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Reepal is trying to get back to his feet now but his leg is trapped.
T is trying to stand back up but Reepal is controlling him
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
T is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Reepal wants to pass the guard but T is defending well.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Reepal wants to get back to his feet.
T is trying to stand.
Reepal wants to get back to his feet.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
T has his takedown stuffed

and Reepal counters by moving into the clinch.
Jark Reepal has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of mr T.

T manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Reepal wants to get up but he can't break T's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
T bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Reepal's guard.
Reepal is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst T is controlling him.
T wants to stand but Reepal has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Reepal is looking to stand back up but T counters by passing into half guard. Oops... bit sloppy there by Reepal.
T trying to control from half guard but Reepal is working away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
T missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Reepal throws a strike from the bottom that misses.
T tries to stand but his hand is stuck under Reepal.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Reepal shoots in for a double leg but T sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
T will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.

Reepal looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for T!
T wants to control but Reepal is having none of it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
T is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Reepal landing punches.
T tries to hold on but Reepal pushes him away.

Reepal has hold of T's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and T manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.
Reepal controlling from mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jark Reepal dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Reepal is looking to clinch.
T will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Reepal takes a swing at T's ribcage but misses.
T is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Reepal with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Reepal tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but T swivels and escapes.
Reepal is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Jark Reepal is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Reepal tries to clinch there but T circles away.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Reepal goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Reepal misses with a jab, cross combination.
Reepal tries to clinch up.

Reepal shoots in and bounces T off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.

Reepal gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
A solid leg kick lands there for T.
T moves out of range of the strikes.
Reepal jabbing away but nothing is landing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
T shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Reepal as he avoids it easily.
T shoots in but no luck this time.
Reepal tries to close the distance and clinch but T swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
T swinging wilding here.
A jab lands there for Reepal.
A low kick from Reepal is predictable there

and T counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by T.
Reepal wants to stand up but T is controlling him.
T trying to control but Reepal is working from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Reepal is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst T is controlling him.
Reepal is striking but T is not phased and passes to half guard.
mr T has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Reepal is not content to let T control the position.
Reepal pushes T off looking to stand but T dives back in and keeps control.
Reepal throws a strike from the bottom that misses.
Reepal is looking for a sweep. T is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
T shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Reepal holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Jark Reepal has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of mr T.
Reepal tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. T just stands there and leans against the cage.
T is stalling here.
Jark Reepal is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
T tries to work over Reepal's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Reepal lands a left hand.
T wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Reepal has him pressed against the cage.

Reepal breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

T tries to keep at a distance but Reepal has taken the fight into the clinch.
T misses with a punch on the inside.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Jark Reepal.
Well Reepal 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 Mauricio Rocha scores the fight 30:27
Judge Thiago Cunha scores the fight 29:28
Judge Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jark Reepal!