PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Jack Liston (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Frank Da Silva (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). On his way into the cage it seems that Jack Liston has been attacked by a crazed fan! It looks like it might have been the just bleed guy! Luckily Jack Liston seems to be OK! I thought that lunatic was in prison!?

Liston
vs
Da Silva

176 cm
22
160 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

174 cm
21
155 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

Good takedowns
Counter fighter
Big heart

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Determined

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Jack Liston!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Frank Da Silva!
The judges for this bout are Taro Takaoka, Sosuke Kotani and Hirohito Nitta.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Da Silva tries to clinch

and Liston counters with a shoot takedown. Da Silva fights it but they end up in guard.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Liston wants to pass the guard but Da Silva is keeping the position.
Liston slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
You can see the frustration on Da Silva's face as Liston controls the position.

Liston tries for a kimura but Da Silva is defending well.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Liston controlling from side mount.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Liston has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Da Silva wants to get back to his feet.
The referee asks Liston politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Liston prefers to stall for the moment though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Jack Liston has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Liston circles away from the clinch attempt

and Liston counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Da Silva!
Liston tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
Liston content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.
Liston tries to advance to mount but Da Silva denies him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Liston controlling from side mount.
Liston has knee on belly and moves into mount.
Liston controlling the pace for now.
Liston seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Da Silva for as long as he can get away with.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Jack Liston wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Da Silva tries to clinch up

and Liston counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jack Liston dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Da Silva wants to clinch but Liston slips to the side

and Liston counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Da Silva!
Jack Liston overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Liston takes a little break here. Da Silva wants to take advantage but he is being controlled well.
Liston tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
The referee asks Liston politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Liston prefers to stall for the moment though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Da Silva stops Liston from passing to mount.
Da Silva is letting Liston control him for a moment.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Jack Liston wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Da Silva tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and Liston counters with a shoot takedown. Da Silva fights it but they end up in guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Liston advances position into side control!
Liston is staying tight to Da Silva's torso, preventing him from escaping.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Liston'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.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Liston advances to full mount.
Da Silva is breathing heavily.
Liston sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

We're going to have a standup here because Jack Liston wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Da Silva closes the distance but Liston moves to the side

and Liston counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Liston.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Liston sitting in guard here, content to control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jack Liston dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Da Silva closes the distance looking to clinch

and Liston counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Da Silva!
Liston moving around in side mount but really he's just happy to control for now.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Jack Liston.
Da Silva tries to clinch up.
Liston swats away the attempt to clinch by Da Silva.
Da Silva doesn't manage to clinch there - Liston circles away.
Frank Da Silva is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Da Silva moves to clinch but Liston breaks away

and Liston counters with a single leg into guard. Da Silva didn't expect that.
Liston slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Da Silva takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Da Silva gives up the full mount - oops, sloppy defensive grappling there!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Liston takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
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!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

We're going to have a standup here because Jack Liston wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Da Silva moves in looking to clinch but Liston pushes him off.
Liston circles away from the clinch attempt.
Da Silva moves to clinch but Liston breaks away

and Liston counters with a takedown into side control.
Liston controls the position.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Frank Da Silva has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Jack Liston is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jack Liston showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Liston, 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 Taro Takaoka scores the fight 30:25
Judge Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 30:25
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jack Liston!