PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Charles Mesquita (ranked 293 p4p, 469 weight class) and Liam Murphy (ranked 29 p4p, 42 weight class). Man, I cannot wait for this one!

Mesquita
vs
Murphy

178 cm
22
150
11 - 2 - 0

171 cm
23
156
8 - 2 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Solid boxing
Granite chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Heavy handed

Brooklyn Apothecary
Brooklyn Threads

Fantasy Threads (Laundry 15%)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the featherweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 11 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Charles Mesquita!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Liam Murphy!
The judges for this bout are George Francis, Gwen Towbar and Alan Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Mesquita misses with a takedown
and Murphy counters with a nice uppercut.
Mesquita tries to clinch but Murphy is having none of it.
A little jabbing left from Murphy on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Mesquita has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Murphy.
Murphy pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

Murphy tries to keep at a distance but Mesquita has taken the fight into the clinch.
Mesquita tries for a takedown but Murphy manages to get underhooks.
A short uppercut from Murphy.
Mesquita blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Murphy tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Mesquita tries to pull guard but Murphy forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Charles Mesquita. That's going to take a lot out of him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Murphy stalling in the clinch.
Mesquita tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Mesquita is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Murphy to keep the fight standing.
Mesquita tries to pull guard but Murphy forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Murphy presses Mesquita against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Mesquita wants to take the fight to the mat but Murphy manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mesquita is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Murphy to keep the fight standing.
Murphy is struggling to control the position.

Murphy breaks from the clinch.
Mesquita looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Murphy is fending him off so far but Mesquita persists. Nope, Murphy circles away and we're back to standing.
Mesquita looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Murphy rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Mesquita moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Mesquita tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Murphy swivels and escapes.
Murphy ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Mesquita takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Murphy lands a jab to the nose.
Mesquita misses with a takedown attempt - Murphy sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.

Mesquita takes the fight into the clinch.

Mesquita pulls guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Murphy wants to stand but Mesquita has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Murphy stays in close to Mesquita's body and controls the position.
Murphy wants to control from the top but Mesquita keeps moving.

Mesquita escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Murphy gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Murphy wants to stand but Mesquita has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Murphy sitting in guard here, content to control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Mesquita has his foot on Murphy's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Murphy works his way back into a safe position though.

Mesquita looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

Mesquita is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Mesquita trying to keep a closed guard but Murphy is proving a slippery customer.

Mesquita is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Murphy slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mesquita keeping moving, preventing Murphy from controlling successfully.

Mesquita looking for a guillotine here but Murphy defends easily.
Murphy wants to control from the top but Mesquita keeps moving.
Murphy really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Mesquita. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Mesquita being controlled here, momentarily.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Mesquita is trying to control the position but Murphy postures up.
Murphy wants to control from the top but Mesquita keeps moving.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Liam Murphy dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Murphy throws a front kick that sends Mesquita stumbling back into the cage.
Murphy swings widly with a right hand

and Mesquita counters by clinching up.
Mesquita jumps guard but Murphy turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Murphy lands with a left to the head.
Murphy landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Murphy lands with a left to the head.
Murphy gets through Mesquita's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Mesquita jumps guard but Murphy stands there with Mesquita around his waist. Mesquita gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Mesquita jumps guard but Murphy turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Charles Mesquita. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Mesquita fails to pull the fight into his guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Murphy lands on the inside with an uppercut.
A head punch on the inside from Murphy fails to land.
Mesquita tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Mesquita tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Murphy smiles and moves away.
Charles Mesquita seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Murphy scores with a slapping inside leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Murphy lands a nice shot that snaps Mesquita's head back.
Mesquita looks for a takedown but Murphy sprawls well.

Mesquita changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Murphy looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Mesquita lands a nice forearm strike.
Mesquita is working Murphy over with some ground and pound from side control.
Mesquita working the head and body with strikes.
Murphy is looking to reverse the position.
Murphy has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Mesquita misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Murphy is looking for a sweep.
Mesquita taking a breather here.
Mesquita is working Murphy over with some ground and pound from side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
An elbow from Mesquita crashes against the mat.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Murphy managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Mesquita.
Mesquita scores with punches from side control.
Mesquita lands some shots froms side control.
Mesquita landing strikes.
Mesquita looks up at the clock and then as Murphy takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Mesquita smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Murphy wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!
Mesquita connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Murphy some visible discomfort.
Murphy is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Murphy is trying to control Mesquita's posture but Mesquita avoids it.
Murphy parries the strikes from Mesquita easily there. Mesquita is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Murphy to escape.

Mesquita thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Murphy struggling a bit here.
Mesquita is chipping away with strikes.
Mesquita sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Murphy is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mesquita wants to lay and pray for a moment but Murphy keeps working.
You can see the frustration on Murphy's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Mesquita scores with a couple of short elbows.
Murphy regains half guard.
Murphy is looking to control Mesquita's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Murphy avoid being mounted?

Mesquita is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Murphy doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Mesquita.
Mesquita seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Charles Mesquita will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Mesquita fails with an attempt to clinch.
Murphy circles away from the clinch attempt.
Murphy swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Mesquita takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Mesquita shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Murphy counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Murphy swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Mesquita defending well as Murphy loads up on a big left hand.
Mesquita steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Murphy.

Mesquita is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Murphy's half guard.
Mesquita has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Mesquita is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Murphy trying to control here.
Mesquita is trying to control. Murphy wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Murphy wants to get back to his feet.
Mesquita slips a nice elbow through Murphy's hands, connecting with Murphy's forehead.
Mesquita is looking to take a break and control but Murphy is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Mesquita is looking to advance position but Murphy won't allow it.
Nice strikes from Mesquita there.
Mesquita is thwarting Murphy's attempts to control the position.
Mesquita sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Murphy defending well though.
Murphy looks like he's trying to stand up.
Mesquita looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Murphy with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Murphy is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Mesquita scores with a couple of nice shots.
Mesquita prevents Murphy from improving his position.
Mesquita landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Mesquita looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Charles Mesquita overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Mesquita is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Murphy tries to roll over but Mesquita keeps him under control.
Mesquita winds up and cracks Murphy with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Mesquita landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Mesquita thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mesquita is trying to control. Murphy wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Still in half guard, Mesquita seems content to control.

Mesquita is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Murphy defends it well.
Mesquita is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Mesquita thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Murphy's head.
Mesquita stops Murphy from getting back to his feet.
Murphy has hold of Mesquita's hands but Mesquita slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.

Mesquita is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Murphy is looking to get back to full guard here but Mesquita has managed to pass to side control instead.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Murphy defending against the ground and pound.
Mesquita landing a few strikes.
Murphy seems a little lost for a moment, as Mesquita dominates the positioning.
Murphy isn't going anywhere.
Mesquita working the head and body with strikes.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Mesquita is putting a hurting on Murphy here, landing some big shots from side control.
Mesquita working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Mesquita grinds an elbow into Murphy's temple.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Charles Mesquita clearly takes that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Mesquita closes the distance but Murphy moves to the side
and Murphy counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Mesquita shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Murphy counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Murphy has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Mesquita is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Mesquita fails with the takedown.
Murphy only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Mesquita steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Murphy.
Mesquita is looking to clinch.
Mesquita shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Murphy sprawls well. Murphy wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Mesquita gets slowly back to his feet.
Murphy only half commits to the counter leg kick.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Charles Mesquita. That's going to take a lot out of him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Murphy waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Mesquita.
Mesquita seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Mesquita changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Murphy tries to avoid it but Mesquita manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Murphy to the ground. Murphy escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Mesquita shoots in looking for a takedown. Murphy tries to sprawl out of it but Mesquita keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Murphy manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mesquita ducks right into an uppercut from Murphy.
Mesquita shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Murphy as he jumps to the side.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Murphy! But no joy.

Mesquita looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Murphy!
Murphy tries to escape but Mesquita is in control.
Murphy tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Mesquita wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Murphy takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.
Mesquita trying to control the position but Murphy is working away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mesquita works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
Mesquita fails to land a wild elbow strike.

Murphy throws Mesquita to one side and escapes!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Mesquita tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Murphy paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Murphy replies with a solid counter kick to the body but Mesquita blocks it well.

Mesquita shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Murphy napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Murphy tries to buck Mesquita off but Mesquita is having none of it.
Murphy is trying to control Mesquita's posture but Mesquita avoids it.
Murphy tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Mesquita wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Mesquita scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Murphy to see if he's OK.
Mesquita creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mesquita lands a nice forearm strike.
Murphy pushes Mesquita away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Mesquita gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Murphy manages to work his way to half guard, despite Mesquita's best efforts.
Murphy taking some punishment here, with Mesquita in his half guard.
Murphy is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Mesquita scores with a couple of nice shots.
Murphy is not content to let Mesquita control the position.
Mesquita lands strikes from half guard.
Mesquita working Murphy over with strikes.
Murphy is trying to stand back up but Mesquita is controlling him
Mesquita content to control rather than advance.
Mesquita lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Murphy is looking to escape.
Murphy on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Mesquita lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.

Mesquita is trying to work for a kimura but Murphy is defending well.
Murphy is trying to get back to full guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close fourth round but I would say that Charles Mesquita will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Mesquita closes this distance looking for a takedown but Murphy circles away.
Mesquita fails with a takedown attempt.
Mesquita looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Murphy is fending him off so far but Mesquita persists. Nope, Murphy circles away and we're back to standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Charles Mesquita. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Murphy avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Murphy is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Mesquita with a body shot.
Mesquita walks into a straight right hand from Murphy.
Murphy throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Murphy misses with a few strikes there.
Mesquita fails with an attempt to clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Murphy digs a good hook to Mesquita's body.

Murphy tries to keep at a distance but Mesquita has taken the fight into the clinch.
Mesquita wants a takedown but no success here.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Mesquita gets control of Murphy's arms and successfully pulls guard. Mesquita will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.

Mesquita is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Murphy defends well.

Murphy got a little sloppy there for a moment and Mesquita has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Murphy has managed to get both his arms back between Mesquita's legs - danger averted.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - a gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.

Mesquita had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Murphy defends it easily.

Mesquita looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Murphy trying to control the position from guard on top but Mesquita is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Mesquita can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Murphy controls the pace.
Liam Murphy has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mesquita wants to sweep but no luck.

Mesquita is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Murphy trying to control but Mesquita is working from the bottom.

Murphy has a momentary lapse of concentration, allowing Mesquita to throw up a leg and lock on what appears to be a pretty tight triangle! Murphy is fighting it off but it's all too little too late - Mesquita pulls down on the head and he's put Murphy to sleep! This one is all over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:57 of round 5, we have a winner by way of Submission (Triangle). Charles Mesquita!
Charles Mesquita retains his featherweight title!