PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between James River (ranked 1979 p4p, 2403 weight class) and Rodri Yairguez (ranked 145 p4p, 162 weight class). Yairguez has chosen El Corrido De Chihuahua - Los Rieleros Del Norte as his entrance music. I'm sure you'll be fascinated to know that I was talking to some pointless Z list celebrity before the fight and he thought that Rodri Yairguez was going to win. Let's see if he was right.

River
vs
Yairguez

170 cm
22
147
4 - 1 - 0

173 cm
21
150
4 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Conviction
Conquer

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 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, James River !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Rodri Yairguez!
The judges for this bout are Sergei Dronov, Ivan Kurochkin and Konstantin Menshow.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
River throws out a loose jab but Yairguez uses good head movement to avoid it.
Yairguez gets cracked there but stands up to it.

River drives through with a takedown into guard.
Yairguez looking to hit a scissor sweep but River is one step ahead there.
Yairguez doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
River trying to control but Yairguez is working from the bottom.
Yairguez wants to improve his position but instead River has moved into half guard.

River is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Yairguez has managed to free his arm - good work.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Yairguez is trying to get back to full guard.
River passes into side control, despite Yairguez's attempt to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yairguez tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but River wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Yairguez looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.

River is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Yairguez is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Yairguez tries to bench press River off him but River keeps the position.
River wants to control but Yairguez is keeping him busy.

River is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Yairguez has escaped the position, nice work there.
River wants to control but Yairguez is keeping him busy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
River lands a nice forearm strike.

The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
River is trying to get an arm triangle but Yairguez is defending well.
Yairguez tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but River wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
River trying to control the position but Yairguez is working away.

River tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
River wants to lay and pray for a moment but Yairguez keeps working.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yairguez is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked River off and has taken his back!
Yairguez tries to keep control of the position but River is staying busy.
Yairguez lands with a couple of good shots - one to the side of the head and one questionable shot that could be viewed as to the back of the head but the referee lets it go.
Will Yairguez go for the finish here or will he try and keep control of the position?
River has his hands over his head blocking the strikes from Yairguez.

Yairguez has his hand under the chin of his opponent looking for the choke. He's nearly got it! This one could be all over! But no, River has freed his hand and lives to survive another… well, another couple of seconds at least!
River tries to roll but Yairguez sticks to his back.
River looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
River covering up well under a barage of strikes.
A lull in the action here.
Yairguez is working the ground and pound. Can River escape?

River fending off the submission attempt from Yairguez.
River covering up well and avoiding damage.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
River is covering up but some of the strikes from Yairguez are getting through and doing damage.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Rodri Yairguez 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.

River swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
River slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Yairguez avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
River is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Yairguez.
Yairguez doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
River thuds his right hand into Yairguez's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Yairguez takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
River misses the body punch
and Yairguez counters with a left to the body.
A shot to the body from River misses

and Yairguez holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
River blocks an uppercut.
River 's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
River wants to stall.
River takes a shot to the head.
River drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
River lands an uppercut.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Yairguez goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A head punch blocked on the inside by River .

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yairguez misses with a punch on the inside.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Yairguez.

It looks like James River has been cut.
River goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
River tries to work over Yairguez's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Yairguez lands a damaging elbow.
Yairguez misses with a body punch.
Yairguez lands a body shot.

Yairguez ties up his opponent against the cage and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. Yairguez no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.
Yairguez manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. River manages to get himself to full guard.

River can't keep his opponent in guard - Yairguez advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Yairguez working River over with strikes.
Yairguez has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Yairguez winds up and cracks River with a swinging punch to the side of the head.

Yairguez goes for a cartwheel guard pass here but River does a handstand and catches Yairguez in mid air with a triangle! Could it be? It is! It's the triple decker pecker wrecker! The fighters land on the ground with River on top - Yairguez is already out from the submission! River gives Yairguez's pecker the obligatory post submission twist and this one is aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall over! Are you kidding me! That is world class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. That guy is my hero!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:56 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (TDPW) . James River !
A victorious James River thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.
In defeat, Rodri Yairguez stepped up to the mic, saying 'A loss is a good learning experience if you take it that way, but it also isn't a win. Everybody loses eventually.'.