PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Bobby Valdez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Josh Koscheck (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bobby Valdez has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Valdez
vs
Koscheck

200 cm
20
175 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

180 cm
22
170 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Dangerous knees
Determined

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 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Bobby Valdez!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Josh Koscheck!
The judges for this bout are John Kavanagh, Eddie Farnsworth and Russell Pearce.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Valdez dodges the punch combination from Koscheck.
Josh Koscheck seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Koscheck lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.

Koscheck closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Valdez tries to improve position but can't.
Koscheck wants to stand but Valdez has his arm trapped.

Koscheck is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Valdez knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Koscheck blocks the strikes from Valdez.
Koscheck tries to stand but Valdez is controlling his head.
Koscheck just content to control the position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Koscheck working away.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.

Valdez throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Koscheck was covering up waiting for the punch and Valdez finishes the takedown easily into guard.
Valdez looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Valdez will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

Valdez gets to his feet - Koscheck follows without any prompting.
Koscheck with a poor takedown
and Valdez counters with a thumping low kick.

Valdez closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Koscheck is trying to break free.
Valdez slows down the pace here.

Valdez breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Valdez closes the distance and clinches up with Koscheck, looking for a takedown. Valdez pushes Koscheck against the cage but Koscheck circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Koscheck has his takedown stuffed

and Valdez holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Valdez is breathing heavily.
Koscheck wants to break free but Valdez has control.
Koscheck tries to break free but Valdez pushes him back against the cage.
Valdez tries to pull guard but Koscheck won't allow it.
Koscheck looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Valdez tries to break free but Koscheck pushes him back against the cage.

Koscheck jumps guard and drags Valdez to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Koscheck keeping moving, preventing Valdez from controlling successfully.

Koscheck is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Koscheck wants to get back to striking at distance but Valdez won't allow it.
Koscheck tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Bobby Valdez has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Josh Koscheck.
Koscheck jumps guard but Valdez stands there with Koscheck around his waist. Koscheck gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Valdez lands an uppercut.
Valdez leaning his opponent against the cage.
Koscheck tries to stall but Valdez uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Valdez prevents the takedown attempt.
Valdez has Koscheck pressed against the cage, preventing Koscheck from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Valdez tries to pull guard but Koscheck holds him up against the cage and eventually Valdez drops back down to his feet.

Valdez jumps into guard, dragging Koscheck to the mat.

That's four 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.

Koscheck decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Valdez, up you get!
Nice takedown defense from Valdez. No joy for Koscheck on that attempt.

Valdez closes the distance and pushes Koscheck back into the cage.
Koscheck can't break the clinch.

Valdez jumps into guard, dragging Koscheck to the mat.
Valdez trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Valdez really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Valdez is adopting a defensive guard.
Koscheck trying to control but Valdez is working from the bottom.

Valdez uses the cage to get back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bobby Valdez dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

No luck for Valdez with that takedown attempt.
Valdez throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.

Koscheck drives through with a takedown into guard.
Koscheck won't allow Valdez to get back to his feet.
Valdez is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Valdez wants to sweep here but Koscheck controlling him for the moment.
Koscheck pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Valdez is keeping the position for now.
Koscheck trying to control but Valdez is working from the bottom.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Valdez not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Koscheck forces his way into half guard.
Valdez trying to control from the bottom.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.

Koscheck scores a takedown into full mount!

Koscheck looking to secure an arm triangle but Valdez defends it well.
Koscheck trying to control but Valdez is having none of it.
Koscheck fails to advance to Valdez's back.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Valdez tries to lock up and control but Koscheck gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Valdez is in a bad position, trying to hold on for dear life but he is really struggling to maintain any sort of control.

Koscheck working for a guillotine from mount but Valdez is in no mood to give up.
Valdez is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

Koscheck is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Valdez is surviving well by controlling Koscheck's body position as best he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Valdez wants to control but Koscheck is having none of it.
Koscheck tries to control but Valdez wriggling away.
Valdez gets back to half guard.
Valdez trying to control but Koscheck postures up.
Valdez is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Koscheck's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Koscheck's back!

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.
Koscheck tries to escape the position - he's now mounted. Is that better or worse? Hard to tell!
Valdez sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Koscheck wants to control but Valdez is having none of it.
Valdez landing strikes from the mount.
Koscheck can't escape the position.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Valdez controlling from the full mount.
Valdez with good strikes from the mount here!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Valdez shoots for a takedown but Koscheck saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Koscheck shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Valdez as he avoids it easily.

Koscheck shoots in and bounces Valdez off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Valdez keeping moving, preventing Koscheck from controlling successfully.
Koscheck throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Valdez works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Koscheck trying to control the position from guard on top but Valdez is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Valdez manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Koscheck manages to get himself to full guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Valdez stands up from Koscheck's guard - Valdez perhaps looking for a knockout.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Koscheck fails with the takedown

and Valdez counters with a shoot takedown. Koscheck fights it but they end up in guard.
Koscheck working a defensive guard here.
Valdez wants to get up but he can't break Koscheck's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Valdez trying to control but Koscheck is working from the bottom.
Valdez content to stall in guard here.

Koscheck wriggles free and stands up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Koscheck closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Valdez wants to control but Koscheck postures up.

Koscheck has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.
Koscheck has his takedown stuffed

and Valdez counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Bobby Valdez has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Josh Koscheck.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Valdez looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Koscheck throwing rabbit punches from the bottom - showing the judges that he's keeping busy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Koscheck wants to stand up but Valdez is controlling him.
Koscheck looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Valdez wanted to stand there but Koscheck had control of the position.
Koscheck is trying to control the position but Valdez postures up.
Koscheck has momentary wrist control but Valdez slips an elbow through the middle.
Valdez tries to free his leg and advance position but Koscheck is retaining full guard.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Koscheck tries to clinch up

and Valdez counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Koscheck is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Valdez wanted to stand there but Koscheck had control of the position.
Koscheck is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Koscheck being controlled here, momentarily.
Koscheck is trying to control the position but Valdez postures up.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Valdez won't allow Koscheck to get back to his feet.

And that's the end of the fight!
Bobby Valdez showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Valdez has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 John Kavanagh scores the fight 29:28
Judge Eddie Farnsworth scores the fight 29:28
Judge Russell Pearce scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Bobby Valdez!