PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Ricky Sweet (ranked 1886 p4p, 2318 weight class) and Matheus Cardoso (ranked 235 p4p, 285 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Sweet
vs
Cardoso

180 cm
20
180
5 - 0 - 0

183 cm
27
180
4 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Decent elbows
KO power

Good wrestler
Brawler
Powerful

Conquest Nutrition™ (160Q) $97

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Ricky Sweet!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Matheus Cardoso!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Don Winkell and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Sweet closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Cardoso tries to control the position but he's not in luck - Sweet easily slips into full mount!
Sweet avoids the attempt from Cardoso to control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Sweet tries to push Cardoso's head away but Cardoso is holding on tight.
Cardoso tries to reverse the position but Sweet maintains control.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cardoso tries to hold on but Sweet pushes him away.
Cardoso looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Sweet punching from mount but Cardoso doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Cardoso tries to hold on but Sweet pushes him away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sweet controlling his opponent.
Cardoso really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Sweet sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Cardoso sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
Cardoso tries to roll over but Sweet keeps him under control.
Sweet seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Sweet wants to take a breather but Cardoso is having none of it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cardoso is trying is best to control the position here.
Sweet performing his best blanket impression for a moment.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.

Cardoso lands a left and a right that send Sweet crashing to the mat, dazed. Cardoso thinks about following him to the mat but decides to wave him back up to his feet!

Sweet is rocked!

It looks like Ricky Sweet has been cut.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sweet dodges the punch combination from Cardoso.
Cardoso misses with a jab, cross combination.
Cardoso on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Sweet misses with a hook. Cardoso ducked under it nicely.
Sweet misses the shot to the body.
A punch combination from Cardoso misses.
Sweet lands with an uppercut that bounces Cardoso off the cage and back into range.
Cardoso throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Sweet.
Sweet half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Cardoso will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Sweet cracks Cardoso with a right hand to the side of the head.
Sweet showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Cardoso.
Cardoso swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Sweet shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Cardoso wants to control but Sweet is keeping busy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sweet trying to control from half guard but Cardoso is working away.
Cardoso is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Sweet content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Sweet throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Sweet is controlling the pace.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Ricky Sweet will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Ricky Sweet's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Cardoso throws a nice looking combination but Sweet bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Matheus Cardoso is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Sweet looking to score a takedown here. Cardoso is defending well but Sweet drives through and ends up in Cardoso's guard.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Cardoso can do anything to dispel that myth.
Cardoso keeping full guard, as Sweet tries to pass.
Sweet passes Cardoso's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Sweet takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Cardoso keeping control of the leg, stopping his opponent passing to mount.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cardoso is looking for a sweep. Sweet is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cardoso avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Sweet.
Sweet passes to full mount!
Sweet controlling the position easily from mount.
Sweet'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.
Cardoso is trying desperately to improve position.
Sweet looking to ground and pound but Cardoso is blocking nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cardoso is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Sweet throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
Cardoso tries to lock up and control but Sweet gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Sweet controlling from mount.
Cardoso tries to lock up and control but Sweet gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Sweet punching from mount but Cardoso doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Sweet is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Cardoso can do to turn this around?
Sweet controlling from mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cardoso tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Sweet controlling the pace for now.
Sweet tries to control but Cardoso wriggling away.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Sweet takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Sweet sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Sweet looking to finish with strikes here!
Cardoso is trying desperately to improve position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sweet can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Cardoso is looking to escape.
Sweet throws some wild stikes that Cardoso manages to avoid easily.
Cardoso is trying to escape the mount.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Cardoso wants to control but Sweet is having none of it.
Cardoso is desperately trying to improve his position but Sweet has a good base and remains in mount.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Ricky Sweet dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Ricky Sweet's cut.
That's time! Sweet's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Cardoso throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Sweet.
Sweet throws a body shot but no joy.
Cardoso takes a shot right to the bread basket.

Sweet fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Cardoso to the ground. Sweet is now in Cardoso's guard.
Sweet is fighting to break Cardoso's control of his arms but Cardoso is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
Cardoso is trying to keep Sweet in close.
Cardoso 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.
Sweet missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cardoso has Sweet pulled in close to control his posture.
Cardoso is trying to control the position from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sweet throwing strikes from guard but Cardoso blocks nicely.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Cardoso holds on and takes a little breather.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Sweet throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Cardoso stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Good shot there by Sweet.
Cardoso lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Sweet circles away quickly and effectively.
Sweet is trying to close the distance and clinch up, after that failed offence from Cardoso.
Sweet fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Sweet bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Cardoso's head backwards.

Sweet closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Cardoso did well to prevent Sweet getting side control.
Cardoso keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Cardoso is trying to get back to full guard.
Cardoso moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Ricky Sweet overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sweet seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Cardoso is pulling down on Sweet's head to control his posture.
Cardoso keeping moving, preventing Sweet from controlling successfully.
Sweet is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Cardoso wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A combination from Cardoso does no damage.
Sweet seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Sweet throws an overhand right that lands on Cardoso's shoulder, as Cardoso tries to avoid the shot.
Cardoso swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Sweet is defended easily by Cardoso.
Cardoso throws a right hand that Sweet ducks under and follows up with a left that Sweet also avoids with ease.
Sweet throwing a counter right hand but Cardoso manages to avoid it.
Cardoso misses with a wild combination.
Cardoso takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Cardoso misses with a wild combination.

Sweet manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Cardoso on his heels. He'll look to pass Cardoso's guard now, I'm sure.
Sweet engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Sweet advances position into side control!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cardoso avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Sweet.
Matheus Cardoso has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Sweet controls the position.
Cardoso tries to buck Sweet off but Sweet is having none of it.
Sweet trying to control the position but Cardoso is working away.
Cardoso tries to bench press Sweet off him but Sweet keeps the position.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Cardoso is trying to strike from the bottom but Sweet has passed into full mount.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ricky Sweet showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Sweet, 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 30:28
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 30:28
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ricky Sweet!
During a confident post fight interview, Ricky Sweet thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.