PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Rickson Bravo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bjorn Johanson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bravo's entrance music is OVER ME by Tricky. A fine choice. Rickson Bravo has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Bravo
vs
Johanson

182 cm
22
183 lbs
5 - 5 - 0

190 cm
28
184 lbs
5 - 3 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Solid boxing
Good chin

BJJ White Belt
Great elbows
Good gas tank

HGH Nutrients Q160-Q158

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 5 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Rickson Bravo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Bjorn Johanson!
The judges for this bout are Gwen Towbar, Stewart Dunkirk and Robert Twigg.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bravo has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Johanson.
Johanson misses with the combination.
Johanson moves in looking to clinch but Bravo pushes him off.
Bravo scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Johanson throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Bravo.
Johanson throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Johanson uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Bravo.
Bravo avoids a punch combination nicely.
Johanson scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Johanson throws a head kick but Bravo moves out of range.
Bravo shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Johanson but Johanson pushes him off and we're back to square one.
The fight stays on the outside here - Johanson looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johanson stuffs the takedown attempt from Bravo. Bravo gets slowly back to his feet.
Jab, jab by Johanson - just one landing.

Bravo shoots in and gets a takedown into Johanson's guard.
Johanson wants to stand up but Bravo is controlling him.
Bravo passes easily into side control. Nice work.

Bravo tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Bravo misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Bravo is trying to get an arm triangle but Johanson is defending well.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Bravo moves into full mount!
Bravo with shots to the head and body - Johanson looks very uncomfortable down there.

Bravo wants to finish this one by submission but Johanson is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from Bravo.
Bravo can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Johanson is looking to escape.
Bravo has improved his flexibility recently so we will have to see if he can use that to his advantage.

Bravo is going oldschool here, as he tries to force Johanson to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so Johanson shrugs it off.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Bravo working for a submission but Johanson is keeping him at bay.
Johanson wants to hold on but Bravo pushes him away.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bravo trying to control but Johanson is having none of it.

Bravo goes for an armbar but Johanson turns quickly into his guard - lovely anticipation from Johanson.
Bravo controls Johanson momentarily but Johanson frees himself.
We've been informed that Johanson has been working hard on his conditioning in the buildup to the fight.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Bravo looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Bravo lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Johanson!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bravo controlling his opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rickson Bravo dominated that round.
That's time! Bravo's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Bravo stalks Johanson and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Johanson's face. Johanson staggers backwards, shaken.
The fighters circle momentarily. Johanson darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Johanson tries to close the distance and clinch up but Bravo swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Johanson lands a head kick. Bravo smiles back at him and beckons him forward.

Bravo looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.

Bravo seems to be looking for submissions.
Bravo is trying to control the action in half guard but Johanson is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

Bravo wants to work for an arm triangle but Johanson is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.

Bravo is working for a kimura but Johanson is defending it quite comfortably.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bravo winds up and cracks Johanson with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Bravo missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Bravo looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.

Bravo is working for a submission of some sort.
Bravo working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bravo thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Johanson's head.
Bravo is keen to just control but Johanson is a slippery customer.
Bravo missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Johanson wants to control but Bravo is keeping busy.

Bravo is trying to work for a kimura but Johanson is defending well.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Bravo trying to control the action but Johanson is working from the bottom.
Bravo moves into full mount! Johanson won't be happy about that!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bravo unloads with some shots from mount but Johanson bucks and avoids them well.
Johanson wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Bravo.

Bravo looking for an armbar but decides to keep the dominant position instead.
Bravo landing punches.
Johanson taking shots to the head.
Bravo looking to finish with strikes here!
Johanson wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Bravo.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johanson wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Bravo.
Bravo dominating with strikes here.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Bravo is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Johanson has managed to escape the submission attempt.
Bravo trying to control but Johanson is having none of it.
Bravo won't let Johanson get back to his feet... He wants to keep the fight where it is for now.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bravo lands a nice shot to the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rickson Bravo dominated that second round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Bravo tries to score a power double leg takedown but Johanson sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Bravo somewhat.
Bravo throws a shot from downtown. Johanson moves away and avoids it.
Johanson slips a jab and a cross from Bravo.
Bjorn Johanson is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Johanson swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Johanson keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Bravo.
Johanson tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Johanson moves to clinch but Bravo breaks away
and Bravo counters with a nice kick to the body.

Johanson clinches up against the cage.

Johanson pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Johanson throws a half hearted mid kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Bravo fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Johanson sprawls well initially but Bravo persists and gets the takedown into half guard.

Bravo is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.

Bravo is trying to work for a kimura but Johanson is defending well.

Bravo looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
Bravo is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Johanson can do to turn this around?
Bravo wants to take a breather but Johanson is having none of it.
Rickson Bravo is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Bravo in particular looking to stall.
Bravo seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Johanson for as long as he can get away with.
Bravo stops Johanson from getting back to his feet.
Bravo content to control rather than advance.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Bravo blocks a head kick by Johanson.
Johanson misses with the combination.
Johanson rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Bravo moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Bravo will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Bravo waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Johanson.

Johanson rushes Bravo and presses him up against the cage.
Johanson is trying to break the clinch but Bravo is controlling him.
Johanson landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Johanson lands a damaging elbow.

Johanson's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bravo keeps the fight on the outside.
Bravo shoots for a double leg takedown but Johanson sprawls well. He's pushed Bravo's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rickson Bravo. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Johanson lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Bjorn Johanson is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
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!
Bravo takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Johanson throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Johanson tries to close the distance and clinch up but Bravo swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Bjorn Johanson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Johanson throws the kick towards the body but Bravo avoids it.
Johanson scores with a nice strike.
Johanson misses with a hook. Bravo ducked under it nicely.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
The fight stays on the outside here - Johanson looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Bravo fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Johanson on the side of the head.

And that's the end of the fight!
Bjorn Johanson comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Bravo 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 Gwen Towbar scores the fight 29:28
Judge Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 29:28
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rickson Bravo!
A very excited looking Rickson Bravo made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.