PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between John Mills (ranked 312 p4p, 41 weight class) and Ezekiel Ithamar (ranked 717 p4p, 83 weight class). Ezekiel Ithamar has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Mills
vs
Ithamar

175 cm
23
153 lbs
10 - 3 - 0

176 cm
26
145 lbs
20 - 2 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Lethal high kicks
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Basic striking
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, John Mills!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 20 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Ezekiel Ithamar!
The judges for this bout are Jorge Garcia, Lou da Vinci and Chad Campbell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Mills stuffs the takedown attempt from Ithamar. Ithamar gets slowly back to his feet.
Mills was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Ithamar looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Ithamar tries to score a power double leg takedown but Mills sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Ithamar somewhat.
Mills getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Ithamar's coach down at Hands Factory ($750/Month) was telling us pre-fight that they have been working on Ithamar's balance. Obviously they view that as a key factor in the outcome of this fight.
Mills lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Ithamar shoots in but no luck this time.
A quick step to the side and Mills tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.
John Mills has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ezekiel Ithamar.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ithamar tries to move into range but Mills moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Mills clobbers Ithamar with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Ithamar has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Mills.
Ithamar defending well as Mills loads up on a big left hand.
Ithamar throws a hook to the side of Mills's head but Mills sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Mills throwing a counter right hand but Ithamar manages to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mills feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Ithamars jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Ithamar misses with a takedown attempt - Mills sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Mills throws an off balance right hand

and Ithamar decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Mills's guard.
Ithamar tries to free his leg and advance position but Mills is retaining full guard.
Ithamar controls from within his opponent's guard.
Mills looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Mills holds on and takes a little breather.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Mills tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Ithamar stops Mills from standing up.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mills 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.
Ithamar controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Ithamar drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Mills has been talking about how he's improved his wrestling in the run up to the fight so let's see if that's enough to sway the balance.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Ithamar swings around for an armbar but Mills sees it coming a mile off and turns beautifully into Ithamar's guard.
Ithamar controls Mills momentarily but Mills frees himself.
Ithamar looking to control but Mills passes into half guard.
Ithamar trying to get back to full guard but Mills takes advantage of the position and moves to full mount!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ithamar tries to lock up and control but Mills gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Mills controlling from the full mount.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Ithamar tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Ithamar tries to lock up and control but Mills gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Mills sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ithamar is looking to improve his position but Mills isn't that keen on the idea.
Ithamar tries to hold on but Mills postures up.
Ithamar is trying desperately to improve position.
Mills avoids the attempt from Ithamar to control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Mills dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Ithamar walks into a jab.
Mills stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Mills wants it to stay on the feet.

Ithamar fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Mills, pushing him back against the cage.
Ithamar working aggressively here.
Mills scores with a shot to the side of Ithamar's head.
Ithamar goes for a takedown attempt but Mills pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
John Mills seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ithamar misses with a takedown attempt
and Mills counters with a nice uppercut.
John Mills has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ezekiel Ithamar.
Mills jabs Ithamar to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Ithamar closes the distance and clinches up with Mills, looking for a takedown. Ithamar pushes Mills against the cage but Mills circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
A looping hook to the body misses from Mills. Ithamar does a little dance to reset his feet.
Ithamar moves away from the strike by Mills.
Mills throws an overhand right that lands on Ithamar's shoulder, as Ithamar tries to avoid the shot.
Mills rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Ithamar moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Ithamar shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Mills connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Ithamar throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Mills's waist but Mills gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Ithamar off to one side.
A counter left hand to the body from Mills misses its target.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mills bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Ithamar's head backwards.
Mills fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Ithamar looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Ithamar has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Mills throws a shot from downtown. Ithamar moves away and avoids it.
Ithamar with the counter takedown but Mills avoids it easily.
Mills turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Mills lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Nice defenses there by Mills.
Ithamar has a takedown stuffed.
Mills misses with a looping left.
Ithamar feints the counter takedown.
Nice shot lands for Mills.

Ithamar moves into the clinch.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Ithamar taking a breather.

Ithamar wants the takedown. Mills is fighting it off but Ithamar persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in Mills's guard against the cage.
Mills keeping full guard, as Ithamar tries to pass.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ithamar trying to control but Mills is working from the bottom.
Ithamar prevents Mills from getting back to his feet.
Ithamar trying to control but Mills is working from the bottom.
Ithamar looking to pass the guard.
Ithamar trying to control but Mills is working from the bottom.
Ithamar is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ithamar ducks right into an uppercut from Mills.
Mills slaps away a takedown attempt from Ithamar, before circling back to the center of the mat.
An attempted straight right counter from Mills misses the target.
Mills scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Mills tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Ithamar was well out of range. Poor timing from Mills.
Mills lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Mills is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Ithamar.
Ithamar misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
A little feinted left hand from Mills on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Ithamar takes a shot to the body in his stride.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ithamar bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Ithamar shoots in and drives through. Mills sprawls well.
Ithamar takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Ithamar takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Ithamar has a takedown stuffed.
Mills connects with a crisp jab.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Ithamar's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Mills connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Ithamar scrambles back to his feet.
John Mills is winning the standup battle so far.
Ithamar takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Mills lands with a straight right. Ithamar didn't see that one coming.
A looping hook to the body misses from Mills. Ithamar does a little dance to reset his feet.
Mills misses with a hook.
Ithamar moves away from the strike by Mills.
Ithamar drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Mills defends it well.
Ithamar shoots in looking for a takedown but Mills manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Ithamar's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Mills dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Ithamar takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Mills throws a right hand that Ithamar ducks under and follows up with a left that Ithamar also avoids with ease.
And Ithamar tries to counter it with a takedown but Mills pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Ithamar takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Mills ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Ithamar moves away.
Ithamar tries for a takedown but Mills circles away easily
letting Mills counter with a right hand.
Mills fakes the leg kick and cracks Ithamar in the body.
Mills bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Nice uppercut lands for Mills. That snapped Ithamar's head back.
A looping hook to the body misses from Mills. Ithamar does a little dance to reset his feet.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ithamar avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Mills with a nice cross.
Nice sprawl there from Mills as Ithamar shoots in.
Mills fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Ithamar throws a lazy right hand but Mills sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mills dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Mills looks to throw the jab but Ithamar is out of range.
Ithamar will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
John Mills has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ezekiel Ithamar.
Mills lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Ithamar fails with a takedown attempt.
Ithamar looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Mills is fending him off so far but Ithamar persists. Nope, Mills circles away and we're back to standing.
Ithamar misses with a hook
and Mills counters with a right hand to the body.
Mills fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Ithamar manages to avoid it.
Ithamar fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Ithamar just manages to avoid a counter high kick fromMills.
Mills is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Ithamar can do to turn this around?
Ithamar takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Ithamar looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Ithamar defending well as Mills loads up on a big left hand.
Ithamar changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mills tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Ithamar was well out of range. Poor timing from Mills.
Mills swings away with a body shot that misses

and Ithamar counters with a nice double leg into guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Mills looking to hit a scissor sweep but Ithamar is one step ahead there.
Ithamar trying to control but Mills is working from the bottom.
Ithamar stopping the sweep attempt from Mills.
John Mills is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ithamar trying to control the position from guard on top but Mills is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Mills is looking to stand up but Ithamar isn't so interested in that idea.
Ithamar stopping the sweep attempt from Mills.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Mills digs a good body shot into Ithamar's ribs.
Mills throws a right and a left that both miss.
Mills works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Ithamar fails with the takedown.
Ithamar shoots in and drives through. Mills sprawls well.
Mills jabs Ithamar to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Ithamar gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Mills.
Mills scores with the left hand. Ithamar knows he should have avoided that one.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mills steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Ithamar.
Ithamar on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Mills lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Ithamar at a distance.
Mills displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Ithamar tries for a takedown but Mills sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Mills defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Ithamar.
Mills lands a jab to the nose.
Ithamar looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Ithamar shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Mills pinned against the cage. Mills gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Ezekiel Ithamar has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Mills cracks Ithamar with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.

And that's the end of the fight!
John Mills showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Mills, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Jorge Garcia scores the fight 30:26
Judge Lou da Vinci scores the fight 30:26
Judge Chad Campbell scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... John Mills!
A very excited looking John Mills made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.