PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Rubens Charles (ranked 4117 p4p, 0 weight class) and Demitrious Johnson (ranked 21877 p4p, 0 weight class). Johnson has a pretty significant injury - he really shouldn't be fighting right now but he's a warrior and he's here none the less! Demitrious Johnson acknowledges the crowd's support as he enters the cage.

Charles
vs
Johnson

170 cm
24
138 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

156 cm
29
140 lbs
9 - 9 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Counter fighter
Granite chin

Good takedowns
Basic striking
Granite chin

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 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Rubens Charles!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Demitrious Johnson!
The judges for this bout are Luis Engracia, Felipe Paraventi and Leandro Rodrigues.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Charles is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Johnson's half guard.
Johnson looks winded!
Still in half guard, Charles seems content to control.
Johnson moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Charles showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Charles has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
We've been told by Charles's head coaches at Soul Supremacy Rio that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Charles displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Johnson.

Charles feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Charles stands and throws Johnson's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Charles controlling from side mount.

Charles tries for a kimura but Johnson is defending well.
Charles content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
This is a sustained period of stalling by Charles.
A control attempt from Johnson but he's now mounted!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Charles controlling the position easily from mount.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

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.
Charles takes Johnson's back. Could be looking for a rear naked choke here - either way, Johnson is in trouble.
Johnson should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
So, who will make the next big move? In this position it could be crucial.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rubens Charles dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Charles shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Johnson is trying to defend but Charles finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Charles controlling the pace.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Johnson is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

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.
Johnson wants to control but Charles passes into side.
Johnson is trying to escape the position but Charles is controlling the position.
Charles passes to full mount! That's big trouble for Johnson!
Charles sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Charles has control of Johnson's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Johnson regains control of the situation pretty easily.
Johnson is desperately trying to improve his position but Charles has a good base and remains in mount.
Charles controlling the position easily from mount.
Charles is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Johnson can do to turn this around?

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.
Johnson working to try and regain half guard.
Charles controlling his opponent.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rubens Charles dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Charles looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Charles is figuring out what he wants to do next.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Johnson takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Charles is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!
Charles controlling the position easily from mount.
Charles's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
Charles seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Johnson for as long as he can get away with.

That's two 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.
Johnson tries to hold on but Charles pushes him away.
Charles takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Rubens Charles overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Charles avoids the attempt from Johnson to control.
Charles controlling the position easily from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

And that's the end of the fight!
Rubens Charles showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Charles 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 Luis Engracia scores the fight 30:24
Judge Felipe Paraventi scores the fight 30:24
Judge Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 30:24

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rubens Charles!
An out of breath Rubens Charles thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.