PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Carl Burns (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Joaquim Maria (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Maria's choice of entrance music: Kronos - Bloodtower. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Burns
vs
Maria

190 cm
32
270 lbs
22 - 12 - 0

193 cm
32
224 lbs
30 - 8 - 0

Great wrestler
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

GRAND Royal Wear

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 22 - 12 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Carl Burns!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 30 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Joaquim Maria!
The judges for this bout are Frank Antenori, Don Winkell and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Burns tries a low kick but Maria avoids it.
Burns delivers a nice body kick.
Burns throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Burns misses with a takedown attempt - Maria sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.

Burns fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Maria to the ground. Burns is now in Maria's guard.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Burns in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Burns is looking to work some ground and pound but Maria has wrist control.
Burns working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Maria tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Maria has momentary wrist control but Burns slips an elbow through the middle.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Maria utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Maria 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.
Burns postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Burns throws a big elbow that misses.
Maria utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Burns looking to pass the guard.
Burns working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Burns postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maria wants to sweep here but Burns controlling him for the moment.
Burns postures up in Maria's guard and throws a big left but Maria blocks it.
Maria working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Burns.
Burns postures up in Maria's guard and throws a big left but Maria blocks it.
Maria wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Maria wants to sweep but no luck.
Maria keeping full guard, as Burns tries to pass.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Burns chips away with some ground and pound.
Burns 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.
Burns is looking to work some ground and pound but Maria has wrist control.
Burns trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Maria looking for a sweep. Not yet Maria, not yet.
Burns is looking to pass into half guard but Maria pushes him away with his feet and jumps on top - now Maria is in guard.
Burns keeping moving, preventing Maria from controlling successfully.

Burns escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Maria gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maria trying to control the position from guard on top but Burns is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Burns is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Maria defends well.

Burns is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Carl Burns dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Burns throws a leg kick that is checked
and Maria makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Burns rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Maria moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Joaquim Maria is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Burns connects with a crisp jab.
Burns ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Maria moves away.
Burns shoots in and drives through. Maria sprawls well.
Burns comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Burns misses with a combination
and Maria counters with a slapping leg kick.
Burns thuds a left hand into Maria's body.
Maria slips a jab from Burns.
Burns thows a leg kick but Maria checks it

and Maria counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Maria.
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!
Burns throws a head punch that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A body shot lands from Maria.
A shot in the inside from Maria.
Burns tries to pull guard but Maria won't allow it.
Maria lands with a short shot to the head.
Maria scores with a shoulder strike.
Maria scores with a nice hook to the head.
Burns is pushing Maria up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Maria lands a nice shot to the body.

Maria breaks from the clinch.
Burns throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Burns shoots in but no luck this time.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Carl Burns. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Maria is looking to slow Burns down with leg kicks.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Maria moves out of range of the body kick from Burns.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Burns is looking to score with low kicks.
Burns misses with a hook
and Maria counters with a nice uppercut.
Maria avoids the body shot from Burns.
Maria throws a head kick that misses.
Burns throws a body punch but Maria moves out of range.
Burns uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Maria has time to react.
Burns tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Burns takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Carl Burns seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Maria checks a leg kick.
Burns throws a leg kick but Maria checks it.
Burns misses with a kick to the body
and Maria counters with a slapping leg kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Burns rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Maria counters with a nice low kick that buckles Burns's knee momentarily.
Joaquim Maria is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Burns takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.

It looks like Carl Burns has been cut.
Burns throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Maria moves out of range of the body kick from Burns.
Burns throws a leg kick but Maria checks it.

Burns fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Maria sprawls well initially but Burns persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Maria is looking to control Burns's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Maria avoid being mounted?
This has been an exciting period of action!
Maria works his way to full guard. Good work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Burns with a flurry of punches that miss.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Maria is on top in guard.

Burns throws his legs up looking for a submission but Maria uses it to pass to side control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Burns is looking for a sweep.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Burns looks to move to half guard but instead Maria has passed into mount! Damn!
Maria content just to control the position here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joaquim Maria showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Carl Burns's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Burns tries to land a front kick but Maria steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Joaquim Maria seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Burns thows a body shot but no joy.
Maria moves out of range of the body kick.
Burns misses with a body kick.
Burns misses with a right hand
and Maria counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Burns is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Burns shoots in looking for a takedown. Maria tries to sprawl out of it but Burns keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Maria manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Burns swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Burns misses with a body shot.
Burns tries to work over Maria's front leg with a kick but Maria checks it.
Burns looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Burns tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Maria was well out of range. Poor timing from Burns.
Maria avoids a kick to the body.
Burns throws a low kick but Maria avoids it.
A low kick from Burns misses

and Maria moves into the clinch.
Nice body punch from Maria - that landed with a thud.
Maria struggles to land a body shot inside as Burns controls his hands.
Maria lands with a left to the head.
Maria lands a right hand.
Maria lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.

Maria breaks the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maria moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Burns ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Burns throws a series of punches but Maria avoids them all with ease.
Maria drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Burns throws a leg kick that is checked
and Maria counters with a nice body kick.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Burns throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.
Maria checks a low kick from Burns.
Burns throws a leg kick but Maria sees it coming and moves out of range.
Burns misses the body punch
letting Maria counter with a right hand.
Burns has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Burns there as he acknowledges the shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Maria misses with a series of wild punches.
Burns fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Maria looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Burns swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Burns blocks a head kick by Maria.
Maria displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Burns.
Maria connects with a single shot there.
Burns misses the shot to the body.
Burns is looking to wear down Maria with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Nice shot lands for Burns.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maria lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Maria lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Burns shoots in for a double leg but Maria sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Carl Burns. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Burns looks to land a right hand but Maria moved out of range.
Burns waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Maria.
Burns shoots in looking for a takedown. Maria tries to sprawl out of it but Burns keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Maria manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.

Burns scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Maria is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Burns off and has taken his back!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joaquim Maria really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Carl Burns's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Burns swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Burns throws a leg kick
letting Maria counter with a right hand.
Burns rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
letting Maria counter with a right hand.
Burns tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Maria was well out of range. Poor timing from Burns.
Maria leaves Burns with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Maria slips under a jab.
Maria avoids a kick to the body.
Maria steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Burns. That one must have hurt.
Burns misses with an uppercut
and Maria connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Burns throws a right hand that Maria ducks under and follows up with a left that Maria also avoids with ease.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Burns swings away with a body shot that misses
and Maria counters with a nice uppercut.
Maria throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
The fighters circling - Burns throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Left hook, right uppercut from Maria.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Maria checks a leg kick.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Burns, right into the meat.
A low kick from Burns is predictable there
and Maria finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Burns lands with a nice body punch.
Burns misses with a leg kick
and Maria counters with a thumping low kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Maria takes a jab right on the kisser.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Burns goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Burns stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Maria.
Burns shoots in for a takedown but Maria shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Burns is defended easily by Maria.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Carl Burns. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Burns throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A looping hook to the body misses from Burns. Maria does a little dance to reset his feet.
Maria has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.
Burns takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.

Carl Burns's cut is getting worse.
Burns throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Maria counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Burns moves out of range as Maria throws a body kick.
Maria throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Burns wants to land a leg kick but Maria is out of range.
The fighters circling - Burns throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Maria. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.
Maria throws a series of punches but Burns moves out of range.
Horrible takedown by Burns or perhaps it was just good defense by Maria which made him look bad.
Burns connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Maria moves out of range as Burns throws a body kick.
Burns looks to throw a body kick
and Maria counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Burns is lucky that one didn't land flush.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Burns misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Maria counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Burns with a lazy takedown attempt
and Maria counters with a slapping leg kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Burns does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Burns connects with a solid leg kick.
Burns looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Burns ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Maria moves away.
Burns darts in looking for a takedown but Maria gets double underhooks and turns Burns into the cage.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Maria scores with a shoulder strike.
Maria scores with a shoulder strike.
Burns goes for a takedown in the clinch but Maria prevents it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joaquim Maria dominated that fourth round.
The cut man is working on Carl Burns's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

A low kick from Burns is predictable there
and Maria counters with a body kick that stops Burns in his tracks momentarily.
Burns will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
A low kick from Burns misses
and Maria counters with a head kick.
Maria takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Burns throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
A low kick from Burns is predictable there
and Maria counters with a nice uppercut.
Maria takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - a gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Burns avoids a punch combination nicely.
Maria rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Burns counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Burns.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Burns throws a strike but Maria rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Maria wants to get up but he can't break Burns's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Maria won't allow Burns to sweep him here.
Burns looking to control but Maria passes into half guard.

Burns looking for submissions off his back.
Carl Burns has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Burns tries to get to full guard but Maria has control of the leg.
Maria seems to have lost interest with the ground game and is thinking about standing back up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Burns looking for submissions from an awkward position here.

Burns looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Maria stalling.
Joaquim Maria is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's four 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.
Maria wants to stand up but Burns has a hold of him and won't allow it.
Burns wants to improve his position but Maria is controlling well.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Burns misses with some strikes from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Joaquim Maria.
I think Maria has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 47:49
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 47:48
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 47:48

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Joaquim Maria! Joaquim Maria retains his heavyweight title!
An out of breath Joaquim Maria thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.