PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Rocky Balboa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rico Garza (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd giving both fighters a great reception on their way into the arena. That's good to see.

Balboa
vs
Garza

180 cm
18
160 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

179 cm
24
155 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Counter striker
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Rocky Balboa!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Rico Garza!
The judges for this bout are Robert Twigg, Wesley Smith and Stewart Dunkirk.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Garza wants to slow Balboa down by chopping away at his legs.
Garza misses with a series of wild punches.

Balboa clinches up against the ropes.
Garza wants to break free but Balboa has control.
Garza is trying to break the clinch but Balboa is controlling him.

Garza breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
A punch combination from Garza misses.
A solid leg kick lands there for Garza.
Garza throws a leg kick that is checked

and Balboa decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Garza's guard.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.

Garza manages to escape and get back to his feet.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Garza tries to bum rush Balboa with a series of wild strikes but Balboa uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Garza looks gassed!
Garza misses with a leg kick.
Garza misses with a two punch combination.

Balboa looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Balboa lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Garza keeping moving, preventing Balboa from controlling successfully.
Balboa connects with a couple of short punches.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Garza has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Balboa off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.

Balboa manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Garza on his heels. He'll look to pass Garza's guard now, I'm sure.
Balboa trying to control but Garza is working from the bottom.
Balboa is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Garza is looking to stand up but Balboa isn't so interested in that idea.
Balboa stands up over Garza, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Balboa trying to control but Garza is working from the bottom.
Balboa prevents Garza from getting back to his feet.
Balboa knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Garza on the ground.
Garza keeping moving, preventing Balboa from controlling successfully.
Garza wants to get back to his feet but Balboa is in a dominant position and won't allow it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Garza keeping moving, preventing Balboa from controlling successfully.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Balboa prevents Garza from getting back to his feet.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Rocky Balboa.
Balboa lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Garza backs up against the ropes.

It looks like Rico Garza has been cut.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Balboa is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Garza's half guard.
Balboa is looking to take a break and control but Garza is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Balboa stalling.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Balboa drops an elbow to the side of Garza's head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balboa is controlling the pace.
Garza is trying to stand up here but Balboa is controlling him well.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Balboa landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Nice strikes from Balboa there.
Garza pushes Balboa off looking to stand but Balboa dives back in and keeps control.
Balboa wants to lay and pray for a moment but Garza keeps working.
Balboa working Garza over with strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Garza is refusing to be controlled, as Balboa sits in half guard.

Garza makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Balboa goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Garza avoids a punch combination nicely.
Garza looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Balboa. Garza shrugs it off though.
Garza tries a low kick but Balboa avoids it.
Garza attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Balboa scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Garza is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Balboa asserts his dominance and retains side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rocky Balboa dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Rico Garza's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Balboa shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Balboa wants to lay and pray for a moment but Garza keeps working.
Rocky Balboa overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

Garza has one foot on Balboa's thigh - he pushes off and manages to get back to his feet.
Garza throws a series of punches but Balboa avoids them all with ease.

Balboa shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.

Garza manages to escape and get back to his feet!
Balboa feints a jab promting Garza to slip. Balboa then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Garza slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Garza walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Balboa checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Balboa thuds his shin into the meat of Garza's side.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balboa lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Balboa avoids a punch combination nicely.
Balboa throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Garza swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Balboa counters with a takedown into side control.
Garza is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the ropes but Balboa has just dragged him back down to the mat.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Garza is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Balboa decides to stand back up.
Garza throws a combination. Balboa tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Garza throws a leg kick but Balboa checks it.
Garza pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Balboa back to the ropes. Garza follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Garza wants to slow Balboa down by chopping away at his legs.
Balboa lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Rico Garza is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Garza walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Balboa checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Balboa blocks a low kick nicely.
No joy there for Garza, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Balboa dodges the punch combination from Garza.
Garza throws a combination that misses
and Balboa counters with a nice low kick that buckles Garza's knee momentarily.
Rocky Balboa is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Balboa closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Garza tries to kick Balboa off but Balboa keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Balboa trying to control the action but Garza is working from the bottom.
Balboa prevents Garza from standing back up.

Garza makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
That kick from Garza tenderised Balboa's leg. Balboa is trying to keep his angry face on.
Balboa tries to clinch there but Garza circles away.
Balboa checks the leg kick nicely there.
Rocky Balboa is winning the standup battle so far.
Garza throws a leg kick

and Balboa holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.

Garza breaks the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Balboa looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Garza!

Garza somehow manages to escape the mount and get back to his feet!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
A left and a right from Garza both land. Nice combination.

Balboa feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Balboa trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Garza is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Balboa is controlling him.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Garza wants to get back to his feet but Balboa passes into half guard.
Garza tries to kick Balboa off but Balboa keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rocky Balboa dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Rico Garza's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Garza throws a low kick, looking for Balboa's leg but Balboa calmly moves out of range.

Balboa gets a takedown into half guard.
Garza wants to get back to his feet.
Garza is staying active underneath Balboa, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Garza is trying to stand up here but Balboa is controlling him well.
Balboa looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Garza with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Garza is trying to stand.
Balboa trying to control the action but Garza is working from the bottom.
Garza looks like he's trying to stand up.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balboa is looking to take a break and control but Garza is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Garza tries to kick Balboa off but Balboa keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.

Garza makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Balboa throws a series of punches but Garza avoids them all with ease.
Garza falls off balance throwing a combination
and Balboa counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Garza will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.

Balboa clinches with his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balboa throws a knee to the head but misses.

Garza's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Garza throws a nice outside leg kick.
Balboa lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.

Balboa shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Balboa was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Garza is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balboa is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Garza can't stay in a position like this for much longer.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Garza is trying to get to the ropes to help him get back to his feet.

Balboa is working for a guillotine from mount but Garza frees his head quite easily.

Garza somehow manages to escape the mount and get back to his feet!
Garza will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
A punch combination from Garza misses.
Rico Garza seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Garza throws a nice outside leg kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Garza keeps the fight on the outside.
A solid body kick from Balboa.
Rico Garza has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Garza swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Rico Garza.
Well Balboa has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Robert Twigg scores the fight 29:28
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 29:28
Judge Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rocky Balboa!