PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Barack Bush (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Josie Marquez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Marquez is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: the most annoying Mexican polka music you have heard in your life. On his way into the cage it seems that Barack Bush has been attacked by a crazed fan! It looks like it might have been the just bleed guy! Luckily Barack Bush seems to be OK! I thought that lunatic was in prison!?

Bush
vs
Marquez

180 cm
29
145 lbs
10 - 11 - 0

173 cm
20
144 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Barack Bush!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Josie Marquez!
The judges for this bout are Seu Braga, Alexandre Firmino and Daniel Cesar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bush misses with the combination.
Marquez defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Bush.
Barack Bush seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Bush tries to clinch up.
The fight stays on the outside here - Bush looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

Marquez gets tackled into the cage by Bush. Bush maintains the clinch.
Marquez can't find room to land a body shot as Bush controls the action.
Marquez is trying to break the clinch but Bush is controlling him.
Bush misses with some punches.

Bush breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Bush tries to clinch but Marquez is having none of it.
Marquez cracks Bush with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Bush really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Bush moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Marquez displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Bush.
Bush lands a lovely overhand right.
Marquez lands with a right hand.
Marquez just misses with a punch to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bush tries to clinch but Marquez moves out of range.
Bush takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Josie Marquez is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Bush tries to clinch up but Marquez circles away and keeps his distance.

Bush has closed the distance and engaged Marquez in a clinch.

Marquez manages to break the clinch.

Bush instigates a clinch.
Marquez taking a breather.
Marquez tries to break free but Bush pushes him back against the cage.
Bush blocks a body shot from Marquez.
Bush wants a takedown but no success here.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Barack Bush. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bush keeps control of Marquez as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Bush has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Marquez uses from the top position.
Marquez trying to control but Bush is working from the bottom.
Bush tries to strike from the bottom.
Marquez must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bush 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.
Marquez engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Josie Marquez was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Bush tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Marquez counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Bush fails with an attempt to clinch.
Bush tries to clinch but Marquez is having none of it.
Bush tries to clinch but Marquez is having none of it.
Marquez misses with a body kick.
Bush slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Marquez connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Bush tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Marquez paws at him with a jab and circles away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bush is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Marquez tries to bum rush Bush with a series of wild strikes but Bush uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Bush tries to score a power double leg takedown but Marquez sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Bush somewhat.
Marquez throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Marquez connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Marquez circles away from the clinch attempt.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Marquez tries to circle away but Bush has him pinned against the cage.
Bush tries to pull guard but Marquez forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Bush wants to take the fight to the mat but Marquez manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Bush content to slow the pace in the clinch.

Bush wants the takedown. Marquez is fighting it off but Bush persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in Marquez's guard against the cage.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bush trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bush tries to stand but Marquez is controlling from the bottom.
Marquez is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Bush trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Bush trying to stand up but can't free himself from Marquez's guard.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Marquez looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Marquez lands a really nice looking cross but Bush seems unphased.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Barack Bush will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

The fight stays on the outside here - Bush looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Marquez's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Marquez duly obliges.
Bush tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Marquez swivels and escapes.

Bush closes the distance and clinches.
Bush prevents Marquez from breaking the clinch.
Bush tries to circle away but Marquez has him pinned against the cage.
Bush has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Marquez is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Bush jumps guard but Marquez turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Barack Bush. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Bush manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Marquez trying to control but Bush is working from the bottom.
Marquez showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bush throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.
Marquez controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Josie Marquez hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
A jab lands there for Marquez.
Marquez moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Bush wants to clinch up but Marquez keeps it at a distance.
Marquez lands a slapping body shot.

Bush has Marquez up against the cage in a clinch.
Bush scores with a shot to the side of Marquez's head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Marquez has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Bush scores with an uppercut up the middle.
A hook to the body from Bush.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Bush tries a body shot but Marquez blocks it.
Bush works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Bush letting Marquez take a breather here.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Bush avoiding damage.
Bush lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.

Marquez escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Bush shoots in for a double leg but Marquez sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.

Bush 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.
Bush tries to stand but can't do so whilst Marquez controls his leg.
Bush not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Bush passes the half guard and he's now in mount! Big trouble for Marquez!
Bush throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Marquez because Bush loaded up on that one.
Bush looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Bush in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Marquez is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Bush thowing shots but they're missing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bush punching from mount but Marquez doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Marquez really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Bush. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Bush cracks Marquez with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Bush tries to control but Marquez wriggling away.
Bush lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bush throws some wild stikes that Marquez manages to avoid easily.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bush tries to control but Marquez wriggling away.
Bush can't control as he wanted to and Marquez manages to get the fight back to his half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Barack Bush dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. 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.

The crowd cheers as Marquez lands an impressive looking overhand right. Bush doesn't seem phased though.
Bush tries to clinch but Marquez is having none of it.
Marquez lands with a shot to the body.
Bush shoots for a takedown but Marquez saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Bush avoids the body shot from Marquez.

Marquez gets caught flat footed, as Bush shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Bush wants to stand but Marquez has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Bush won't allow Marquez to sweep him here.
Marquez manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Marquez controlling from the full mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bush is desperately trying to improve his position but Marquez has a good base and remains in mount.
Marquez looking to control but Bush is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Marquez won't let Bush get back to his feet... He wants to keep the fight where it is for now.

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.
Bush wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Marquez.
Marquez content just to control the position here.
Bush has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Marquez throwing strikes here but Bush is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.
Marquez prevents Bush from getting the reversal.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Marquez controlling the pace for now.
Bush is in all sorts of trouble here.

Marquez goes for an armbar but he's fallen flat on his backside there and now Bush is on top in guard.
Bush tries to free his leg and advance position but Marquez is retaining full guard.
Josie Marquez has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bush pushing down on Marquez's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Marquez is trying to get back to full guard.
Marquez wants to get back to his feet.
Marquez is looking to improve his position.
Marquez has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Bush is working away from the top position though.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Bush wants to pass to mount but Marquez is defending the position.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Josie Marquez.
I think Bush 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 Seu Braga scores the fight 29:28
Judge Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 29:28
Judge Daniel Cesar scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Barack Bush!