PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Steve Bates (ranked 3423 p4p, 4475 weight class) and Grover Montoya (ranked 463 p4p, 572 weight class). Steve Bates has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Bates
vs
Montoya

184 cm
25
185
1 - 0 - 0

185 cm
18
188
1 - 0 - 0

Decent wrestler
Basic striking
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Steve Bates!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Grover Montoya!
The judges for this bout are Michael Johnstone, Dirk Anderson and Santiago Holmes.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Bates closes the distance and clinches.
Montoya is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Bates is keeping busy.
Montoya dodges an elbow strike from Bates.
Bates misses with an elbow over the top.
Montoya struggles to land a body shot inside as Bates controls his hands.
Bates comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Montoya scores with a shot to the side of Bates's head.
Bates is trying to pull guard but Montoya has him pressed against the cage.
Montoya is leaning against Bates and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.

Bates has Montoya pressed up against the cage. He's trying to work for a single leg takedown. Bates pulls back from the cage and twists to the side, sending Montoya tumbling to the mat - Bates dives into Montoya's guard.
Bates throws an elbow that misses. Montoya uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Bates's guard. Nice move by Montoya!

Montoya avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Montoya trying to control but Bates is working from the bottom.
Bates trying to keep a closed guard but Montoya is proving a slippery customer.

That's one minute gone in the round.

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

Montoya avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

Bates is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Montoya defends well.
Bates on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Bates tries to get out of the position.
Montoya is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Bates throws some sloppy strikes off his back.

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.

Bates working away from the bottom but not quite defensive enough there because Montoya has passed into half guard!
Montoya wants to pass to mount but Bates is defending the position.
Montoya moves into side control, avoiding the strikes from Bates.
Bates is trying to improve his position.
Montoya advances to mount.
Bates is wriggling around trying to escape.
Bates is working hard here to advance position.
Montoya looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Montoya trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Bates is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Bates regains half guard.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Montoya in particular looking to stall.

Bates is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Montoya pulls his head out easily.
Montoya stops Bates from getting back to his feet.
Montoya prevents Bates from improving his position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Bates looking for submissions off his back.
Bates is trying to control but Montoya passes into side control!
Montoya wants to lay and pray for a moment but Bates keeps working.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Bates tries to improve position but can't.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Grover Montoya will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Bates jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Montoya looks to land a left hand but Bates moved out of range nicely.
Bates throws the left hand but Montoya avoids the punch easily.
Montoya just misses with a punch to the body.
Bates connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Montoya throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A punch lands to the side of Bates 's head but he takes it in his stride.

It looks like Steve Bates has been cut.
Montoya misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Montoya misses with an uppercut

and Bates counters with a shoot takedown. Montoya fights it but they end up in guard.
Montoya can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Bates controls the pace.

Bates drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Montoya dives on top into guard.

Montoya trying to control but Bates is working from the bottom.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Montoya stopping the sweep attempt from Bates.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Bates has an active guard here but Montoya has managed to pass into half guard.
Bates is looking for a sweep. Montoya is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Montoya wants to free his trapped foot but Bates is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Bates tries to roll over but Montoya keeps him under control.
Bates is trying to maintain the position but Montoya is very close to passing his half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Montoya wants to lay and pray for a moment but Bates keeps working.
Bates is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Grover Montoya has got the better of the ground game so far.

Bates looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Bates strikes from the bottom but Montoya uses the opportunity to move to side control.
Montoya working away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The ground and pound from Montoya seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
Bates is trying to work for a sweep but Montoya has mounted him!
Bates is trying desperately to improve position.
Montoya tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Bates tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Montoya controlling the pace for now.
Bates tries to hold on but Montoya pushes him away.
Bates is working to get back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Montoya controlling from the full mount.
Bates is working to get back to half guard.
Montoya wants to control the pace but Bates is squirming around nicely.
Bates is looking to improve his position but Montoya isn't that keen on the idea.
Montoya can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Bates is looking to escape.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Bates manages to regain half guard. Good work.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Grover Montoya showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Steve Bates's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Bates slips under a jab.
Bates ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Montoya moves away.
Bates throws a good cross that connects.
Bates with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Montoya to score with a decent uppercut.
Bates uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Montoya.
Montoya throws the left hand but Bates avoids the punch easily.
Montoya drops his hands momentarily and Bates takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Montoya drops his hands momentarily and Bates takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Montoya scores with a body shot.
Montoya misses with an uppercut. Bates saw that one coming.
No joy there for Bates, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Bates walks into a left hand.
Montoya gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Bates thuds his right hand into Montoya's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Bates walks into a jab.
Bates on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bates lands a jab to the head.
Bates misses with a looping right.
Montoya stalks Bates and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Bates's face. Bates staggers backwards, shaken.
Grover Montoya is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Montoya takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Bates pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Montoya appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Jab by Montoya.

Montoya gets caught napping as Bates dives in and scores a takedown. Montoya manages to retain guard.
Bates trying to control the position from guard on top but Montoya is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Montoya is trying to control the position but Bates postures up.
Bates postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Montoya has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Bates in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Steve Bates has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bates lands a couple of digs.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Bates postures up as if he's going to throw some strikes but drops back for an ankle! Montoya is in big trouble! He looks ready to tap! But no, he's escaped and dives on top of Bates, into his guard.

Montoya trying to control the position from guard on top but Bates is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Bates looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

Montoya avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bates wants to improve his position but instead Montoya has moved into half guard.
Montoya is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Bates is trying to control but can't.
Bates wants to improve his position but Montoya is controlling well.
Montoya perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Bates is looking to improve his position.
Montoya takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters, thinking about a standup.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Montoya wants to lay and pray for a moment but Bates keeps working.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Montoya fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Bates rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Montoya cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Montoya dips to his left and cracks Bates with an uppercut!
Bates is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
A cross from Montoya lands.
Bates lands with a nice body punch.
A low kick from Bates misses
and Montoya cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Montoya misses with a jab, cross combination.
Montoya lands a nice shot that snaps Bates's head back.

Bates is rocked!
Montoya connects with a nice cross there... Bates is looking wobbly and Montoya recognises it - he's rushed in and lands two more brutal shots that send Bates to the canvas, out cold! A brutal finish to the fight - Montoya jumps onto the cage to celebrate with the crowd!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:51 of round 3, we have a winner by way of KO (Punches). Grover Montoya!