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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Matt Escobar (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bardock Rao (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.
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| 175 cm
22
180 lbs
1 - 1 - 0 |
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180 cm
20
185 lbs
0 - 3 - 0 |
Good wrestling
Counter striker
Prefers ground |
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BJJ White Belt
Good kicks
Very confident |
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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 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Matt Escobar!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
0 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Bardock Rao!
The judges for this bout are , and .
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Rao wants to clinch up but Escobar keeps it at a distance.
Escobar gets caught flat footed, as Rao shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Escobar looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Rao thows a big elbow that misses.
Escobar pulls Rao in close to prevent any damage.
Rao trying to control but Escobar is working from the bottom.
Escobar seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Escobar manages to escape and get back to his feet.
That's one minute gone in the round.
A slapping leg kick lands for Rao.
Rao tries to score a power double leg takedown but Escobar sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Rao somewhat.
Escobar slaps away a takedown attempt from Rao, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Rao tries to clinch up but Escobar circles away and keeps his distance.
Rao dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Escobar is breathing heavily.
Rao is looking to clinch but Escobar is avoiding it.
No luck for Rao with that takedown attempt.
Matt Escobar has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Bardock Rao.
Rao shoots in but Escobar avoids the takedown attempt easily.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Escobar shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Escobar showed some decent athleticism there.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rao actively working from the bottom here.
Escobar wants to control but Rao is keeping him busy.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Escobar is thwarting Rao's attempts to control the position.
Escobar is pressing down on Rao's thigh, looking to free his foot. Rao is holding on for now.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rao wants to control but Escobar is keeping busy.
Rao actively working from the bottom here.
Escobar is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Rao looks like he's trying to stand up.
Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Rao misses with a takedown attempt
and Escobar counters with a takedown into side control.
Rao is being controlled here.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rao wants to get back to his feet.
Escobar working the head and body with strikes.
Escobar controls the position.
Rao can't do much from the bottom here.
Escobar taking a breather here.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Matt Escobar dominated that round.
That's time! Escobar's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.
Rao swats away the attempt to clinch by Escobar.
Rao drives through and clinches with Escobar against the cage.
Rao breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A left and a right from Rao both land. Nice combination.
Escobar avoids the head kick by Rao.
Bardock Rao seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Rao has his takedown stuffed
and Escobar counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Escobar's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Escobar is pushing down on Rao's leg trying to pass to half guard. Rao is fighting to maintain full guard but Escobar has managed to sneak the leg through.
Escobar stalling.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rao is trying to maintain the position but Escobar is very close to passing his half guard.
Rao is trying to avoid being dragged into an even worse position than he's already in but Escobar is staying active.
Escobar performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
The referee stands the fighters back up. Matt Escobar just wasn't active enough from the dominant position.
Escobar shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Escobar controlling from mount.
Escobar cracks Rao with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Escobar putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Matt Escobar overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Escobar controlling the position easily from mount.
Escobar lands a nice shot to the head.
Escobar sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
That's four 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.
Escobar'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.
Rao can't escape the position.
Escobar controlling from mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Matt Escobar dominated that second round.
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. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.
Rao with a poor takedown
and Escobar counters with a single leg into guard. Rao didn't expect that.
Rao working a defensive guard here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rao is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Escobar controls from within his opponent's guard.
The referee stands the fighters back up. Matt Escobar just wasn't active enough from the dominant position.
Escobar shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Rao napping and manages to drive through into side control!
A lull in the action here.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Rao is looking to regain half guard here but Escobar keeps moving and retains side control.
Escobar staying calm.
Rao is looking to regain half guard here but Escobar keeps moving and retains side control.
You can see the frustration on Rao's face as Escobar controls the position.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Rao is trying to improve his position.
Rao wants to control but Escobar postures up.
The referee asks Escobar politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Escobar prefers to stall for the moment though.
Escobar has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Escobar stands up.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rao shoots and misses
and Escobar counters with a single leg into guard. Rao didn't expect that.
Escobar controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Escobar looking to pass the guard.
Rao can't keep his opponent in guard - Escobar advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Escobar looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rao trying to control but Escobar postures up.
Escobar passes to full mount!
Escobar won't let Rao get back to his feet... He wants to keep the fight where it is for now.
Escobar controlling his opponent.
Rao tries to lock up and control but Escobar gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Bardock Rao has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Matt Escobar is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Escobar sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
And that's the end of the fight!
Matt Escobar showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Escobar, 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 Andi Peters scores the fight 30:26
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 30:26
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 30:26
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matt Escobar!
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
51% |
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