PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Jose Pacheco (ranked 3363 p4p, 158 weight class) and Kassim Suluhu (ranked 2826 p4p, 136 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Pacheco
vs
Suluhu

178 cm
30
140 lbs
8 - 13 - 0

165 cm
25
145 lbs
7 - 9 - 1

BJJ Brown Belt
Brawler
Experienced

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 8 - 13 - 0, fighting out of London, Jose Pacheco!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 9 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Kassim Suluhu!
The judges for this bout are Chris Downing, Alan Glass and Frank Dennis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Pacheco steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Suluhu. That one must have hurt.
Suluhu moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Suluhu lands a front kick.
Pacheco shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Suluhu as he jumps to the side.
Suluhu lands with a shot to the body.

Suluhu scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Suluhu is keen to just control but Pacheco is a slippery customer.
Pacheco wants to get back to full guard.
Suluhu content to control rather than advance.
Suluhu scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Suluhu perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pacheco taking some punishment here, with Suluhu in his half guard.
Suluhu thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Suluhu lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Suluhu keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Suluhu wants to pass to mount but Pacheco is defending the position.
Pacheco slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pacheco has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Pacheco wants to stand and escape but Suluhu is having none of it.
Pacheco controlling the position.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Pacheco working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Suluhu.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Nice sprawl there from Suluhu as Pacheco shoots in.
Pacheco dives in and grabs Suluhu's left leg, looking for a takedown. Suluhu pushes down on Pacheco's head and hops out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jose Pacheco. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Suluhu lands a body shot.
Suluhu stuns Pacheco with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.

Suluhu shoots in and bounces Pacheco off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Suluhu throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Pacheco seems to have improved his submission grappling technique since last time we saw him. Let's see if he can pull off a submission.
Suluhu must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Suluhu won't allow Pacheco to sweep him here.

Pacheco throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Suluhu controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Suluhu trying to control but Pacheco is working from the bottom.

That's four 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.
Suluhu postures up in Pacheco's guard and throws a big left but Pacheco blocks it.
Pacheco looking to hit a scissor sweep but Suluhu is one step ahead there.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Pacheco will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Suluhu accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Suluhu wants to control from the top but Pacheco keeps moving.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Suluhu scores with a kick to the midsection.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Pacheco fails with the takedown
and Suluhu connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Suluhu fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Pacheco misses with a takedown
and Suluhu counters with a lovely shot to the body.

Pacheco gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Suluhu to score an easy takedown into full guard.

Pacheco scrambles and gets back to his feet.

Suluhu shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Pacheco is trying to defend but Suluhu finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Suluhu connects with a nice short shot to Pacheco's temple.
Suluhu scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Suluhu missing with the ground and pound from half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Suluhu scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Suluhu prevents Pacheco from standing back up.
Ground and pound from Suluhu.

Pacheco is rocked!
Pacheco has hold of Suluhu's hands but Suluhu slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Oh Pacheco is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Pacheco slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Pacheco seems to have got his legs back now.
Pacheco can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Suluhu controls the pace.
Suluhu has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Pacheco really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Suluhu won't allow Pacheco to get back to his feet.
Pacheco preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Pacheco keeping moving, preventing Suluhu from controlling successfully.
Pacheco looking to hit a scissor sweep but Suluhu is one step ahead there.
Suluhu postures up in Pacheco's guard and throws a big left but Pacheco blocks it.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Suluhu preventing the sweep.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Suluhu lands a nice looking body kick.
Pacheco shoots in looking for a takedown but Suluhu manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Pacheco's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pacheco will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Suluhu drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Pacheco defends it well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jose Pacheco. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Pacheco on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
A thudding body kick lands there by Suluhu!
Suluhu throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Pacheco stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.

Pacheco closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.

Suluhu kicks off Pacheco and gets to his feet.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Suluhu shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Suluhu content to control rather than advance.
Suluhu slips a nice elbow through Pacheco's hands, connecting with Pacheco's forehead.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pacheco won't allow Suluhu to pass to mount.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Pacheco wants to get back to full guard.
Suluhu wants to lay and pray for a moment but Pacheco keeps working.
Suluhu throwing shots but Pacheco is blocking nicely.
Suluhu sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Suluhu missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Suluhu thows a huge punch but Pacheco dodges it nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kassim Suluhu showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Pacheco misses with a takedown
and Suluhu counters with a lovely shot to the body.

Suluhu gets the takedown into side control.

Pacheco explodes and escapes back to his feet! Nice escape there!
Nice sprawl there from Suluhu as Pacheco shoots in.
Suluhu is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Pacheco rather than just go for the knockout.
Suluhu lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Pacheco at a distance.
Jose Pacheco is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Suluhu drives through with a takedown into Pacheco's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Suluhu is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Suluhu's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.

Pacheco throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Pacheco tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Suluhu pushes down on Pacheco's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Suluhu thows a huge punch but Pacheco dodges it nicely.
Suluhu looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Suluhu sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Pacheco defending well though.
Well, if Suluhu is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Pacheco is pressing down on Suluhu's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Suluhu is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Suluhu landing with the ground and pound.
Suluhu throws a big elbow that misses.
Pacheco tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Pacheco keeping moving, preventing Suluhu from controlling successfully.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Pacheco shoots in but no luck this time.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jose Pacheco. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Pacheco shoots and misses
and Suluhu counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pacheco on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.

Suluhu shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Suluhu was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Pacheco tries to get back to his feet but has found himself mounted instead. Damn, that's gotta suck.
Suluhu lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Suluhu tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Kassim Suluhu has got the better of the ground game so far.
Suluhu can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Pacheco is looking to escape.
Suluhu lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Jose Pacheco has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Suluhu controlling the position easily from mount.
Pacheco is desperately trying to improve his position but Suluhu has a good base and remains in mount.
Suluhu lands a big shot there that rocks Pacheco but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Pacheco taking shots to the head.
Pacheco working to try and regain half guard.
Suluhu postures up and throws a massive shot that knocks Pacheco out cold! Two more strikes to his unconscious opponent for good luck and this one is all over! Suluhu goes absolutely crazy with his corner! Wow, you can see how much that win means to him!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:55 of round 3, we have a winner by way of KO (Strikes). Kassim Suluhu!
A very excited looking Kassim Suluhu rambled incoherently for about 5 minutes post fight about how awesome he is. It was kinda funny for a while but then everyone got annoyed.