PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Dave Vargas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and John Pleasures (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Vargas comes to the cage accompanied by El Rey by Vicente Fernandez. John Pleasures has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Vargas
vs
Pleasures

190 cm
20
170 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

174 cm
18
158 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
KO power

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Tends to cut

Hellbent, Inc.

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 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Dave Vargas!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, John Pleasures!
The judges for this bout are Cecil Peabody, George Francis and Stewart Dunkirk.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice sprawl there from Vargas as Pleasures shoots in.

Vargas gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Pleasures distracts Vargas with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Pleasures scoring with punches to the head and body.
Vargas 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.
Pleasures in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Pleasures is working Vargas over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Pleasures cracks Vargas with a solid left hand.
Pleasures postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Pleasures won't allow Vargas to sweep him here.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Pleasures's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Vargas looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

Vargas has his foot on Pleasures's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Pleasures works his way back into a safe position though.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Vargas is on top in guard.
Pleasures throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.
Pleasures tries to strike from the bottom.
Vargas working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Vargas with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vargas working some strikes from top position.
Vargas is in close to Pleasures's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Pleasures wants to sweep but no luck.
Pleasures manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Pleasures looking to finish Vargas with some ground and pound. This is bad for Vargas!
Pleasures lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Vargas hang on?
Pleasures lands a big elbow.
A nice elbow there by Pleasures.
Vargas is looking to get to half guard.
Pleasures is landing with some decent strikes but Vargas is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Pleasures with the ground and pound from mount.
Pleasures punishing his opponent with strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vargas tries to hold on but Pleasures postures up.
Pleasures lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.

Vargas is rocked!
Vargas is breathing heavily.
Pleasures landing strikes from the mount and Vargas is in trouble!
Oh Vargas is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Pleasures landing strikes from the mount.
Vargas tries to buck Pleasures off but he can't manage it.
Vargas seems to have got his legs back now.
Pleasures avoids the attempt from Vargas to control.
Pleasures has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Vargas is in a horrible position here. Pleasures smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Pleasures cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Pleasures working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Pleasures scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Vargas?
Vargas keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Pleasures dominating with strikes here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pleasures fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Pleasures unloading with bombs!
Pleasures lands a nice shot to the head.
Vargas wants to try and get back to his feet.
Pleasures lands a big shot there that rocks Vargas but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Pleasures in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Vargas throwing hammer fists to the chest of Pleasures. What's that going to do exactly?
Vargas is in a horrible position here. Pleasures smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Vargas is trying to stand.
Pleasures working Vargas over with strikes here.
Vargas is looking to improve his position but Pleasures isn't that keen on the idea.
Pleasures postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Vargas looks a forlorn figure.
Pleasures with shots to the head and body - Vargas looks very uncomfortable down there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pleasures pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Pleasures breaks from Vargas's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Vargas avoids a series of strikes thrown by Pleasures.
Pleasures thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Pleasures punching from mount but Vargas doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Pleasures misses with a series of strikes from mount. He'll no doubt be working on his ground and pound when he gets back to the gym.
Vargas working to try and regain half guard.
Vargas is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.
Vargas can't escape the position.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Pleasures is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Pleasures has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Vargas's face.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Pleasures dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Vargas tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
No luck for Pleasures with that takedown attempt.

Pleasures drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Vargas looking for a sweep. Not yet Vargas, not yet.
Vargas bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Pleasures's guard.
Vargas postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Vargas preventing the sweep.
Pleasures striking off his back but it's not causing Vargas any problems.
Pleasures 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.
Vargas wants to control from the top but Pleasures keeps moving.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Pleasures striking off his back but it's not causing Vargas any problems.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vargas trying to control but Pleasures is working from the bottom.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Pleasures looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Pleasures blocks the body kick.
Vargas misses with the combination.

Pleasures closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Pleasures goes for a takedown in the clinch but Vargas prevents it.
Dave Vargas has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of John Pleasures.
Pleasures looking for a takedown.

Vargas breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Vargas throws a nice looking combination but Pleasures bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
The fight stays on the outside here - Vargas looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

Pleasures takes the fight into the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Vargas manages to break the clinch.

Pleasures shoots in and bounces Vargas off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Pleasures missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

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

Vargas has his foot on Pleasures's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Pleasures works his way back into a safe position though.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Pleasures's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Vargas utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Vargas working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Pleasures.
Vargas is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Vargas seems to be working for a kimura but Pleasures defends the submission attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vargas blocks the strikes from Pleasures.
Vargas looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Vargas really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
The fighters are battling for position here. Pleasures manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Pleasures will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Pleasures throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.
Vargas throws a big right hand that misses.
Pleasures wants to sweep but no luck.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Pleasures fails to land the takedown.

Pleasures closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Vargas parries the strikes from Pleasures easily there. Pleasures is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Vargas to escape.
Pleasures throws an elbow but Vargas slips to the side and avoids it well.
Vargas is trying to get back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pleasures working the body and head with strikes.
Pleasures misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Vargas avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Pleasures.
Pleasures 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.
Pleasures working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Vargas shoots in for a takedown but Pleasures shows good takedown defense.
Vargas shoots and misses

and Pleasures counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Pleasures wants to pass to mount but Vargas is defending the position.
Pleasures seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Vargas gets full guard.
Pleasures missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Pleasures is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Pleasures showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Pleasures closes the distance and clinches up with Vargas, looking for a takedown. Pleasures pushes Vargas against the cage but Vargas circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Vargas throws and low kick but Pleasures moves out of range easily.

Pleasures closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Pleasures lands in his opponent's guard.
Vargas working a defensive guard here.
Pleasures lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Pleasures trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Vargas is looking to stand up but Pleasures isn't so interested in that idea.
Pleasures stopping the sweep attempt from Vargas.

Vargas had isolated an arm as going for an omaplata. Pleasures is defending the submission well but is in a very vulnerable position. Vargas Is leaning forward trying to finish the omaplata but decides to abandon it, and take Pleasures's back instead.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Pleasures turns into Vargas and is now in his guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Vargas is looking for a triangle but Pleasures pushes his legs off easily.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Pleasures shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Pleasures. Vargas shrugs it off though.
Dave Vargas is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Pleasures.
Vargas manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
Pleasures blocks the strikes from Vargas.
Pleasures lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Pleasures working Vargas over with strikes.
Pleasures scoring with strikes to the body and head.
John Pleasures is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pleasures stalling.
Vargas keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Vargas blocking the ground and pound attempt from Pleasures.
Pleasures wants to lay and pray for a moment but Vargas keeps working.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Vargas looks for a takedown but Pleasures sprawls well.
Vargas misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

Pleasures closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Vargas to the mat! Vargas manages to get full guard.
Vargas keeping moving, preventing Pleasures from controlling successfully.
Pleasures with a nice head shot there.
Vargas has momentary wrist control but Pleasures slips an elbow through the middle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Vargas is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Vargas wants to sweep but no luck.
Pleasures works over Vargas with some ground and pound from guard.
Pleasures slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Pleasures preventing the sweep.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.

Pleasures fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Vargas sprawls well initially but Pleasures persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Pleasures in particular looking to stall.
John Pleasures has got the better of the ground game so far.
Vargas flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.
Pleasures missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Pleasures is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Vargas is not content to let Pleasures control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Vargas pushes Pleasures off and gets back to his feet.
Vargas throws a low kick but Pleasures avoids it.
Dave Vargas has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

Pleasures scores with a takedown into Vargas's guard.

Vargas working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Pleasures doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Pleasures manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Pleasures trying to control but Vargas is working from the bottom.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Pleasures accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Vargas keeping moving, preventing Pleasures from controlling successfully.
Pleasures in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.

And that's the end of the fight!
John Pleasures comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Pleasures winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Cecil Peabody scores the fight 27:30
Judge George Francis scores the fight 27:30
Judge Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... John Pleasures!