PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Miguel Cotto (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and methos lage (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). This should be fireworks!

Cotto
vs
lage

170 cm
18
140 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

180 cm
20
138 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

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 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Miguel Cotto!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, methos lage!
The judges for this bout are Illya Tyunina, Aleksandr Martynov and Igor Prikhodko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Cotto closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.

Cotto is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so lage is just riding it out for now. Cotto eventually gives up the hold.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Cotto works his way into side control.
Cotto tries to move to mount but lage blocks the move with his legs.
lage tries to control but Cotto manages to take his back.
A lull in the action here.
You can see the frustration on lage's face… He knows he is in trouble unless he improves his position sooner rather than later.
lage breaks Cotto's hooks off and manages to turn into his guard.
lage with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Cotto doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.

lage decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.

lage gets caught flat footed, as Cotto shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
lage will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.

Cotto decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
lage is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Cotto fails to land the takedown.
lage uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Cotto.
lage tries for a takedown but Cotto circles away easily

and Cotto counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Cotto.
Cotto is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
lage keeping moving, preventing Cotto from controlling successfully.

lage is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
lage looks gassed!
Cotto working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of lage's head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cotto passes easily into side control. Nice work.

Cotto stands up and we're back to a striking position.
Cotto closes this distance looking for a takedown but lage circles away.
lage fails with the takedown

and Cotto counters with a single leg into guard. lage didn't expect that.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
lage keeping moving, preventing Cotto from controlling successfully.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Cotto landing some decent shots from guard.
Cotto lands a couple of elbows.

Cotto stands and steps away. lage gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.

Cotto gets the takedown into side control.
lage is trying to improve his position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cotto cracks lage with an elbow. That is naaassty.
lage takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.
Cotto looks up at the clock and then as lage takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Cotto smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Cotto moves into full mount!
Cotto raining down shots from the mount!
lage wants to hold on but Cotto pushes him away.
Cotto landing punches.
Cotto 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.

Cotto looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.
lage tries to lock up and control but Cotto gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cotto landing strikes from the mount.
Cotto with good strikes from the mount here!
Cotto with the ground and pound from mount.
Cotto lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Cotto with shots to the head and body - lage looks very uncomfortable down there.
Cotto pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
lage wants to hold on but Cotto pushes him away.
lage takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
lage tries to hold on but Cotto postures up.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!

Cotto working for a submission but lage is keeping him at bay.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
lage manages to regain half guard. Good work.
lage trying to hold on to Cotto's head to control him but Cotto postures up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Cotto fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. lage sprawls well initially but Cotto persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Miguel Cotto overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
lage throws a strike from the bottom that misses.
Cotto looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks lage with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Cotto stalling away here and it's allowed lage to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.
lage throwing some rather feeble looking strikes off his back.
Cotto trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
lage keeping moving, preventing Cotto from controlling successfully.
Cotto passes lage's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Cotto winds up and cracks lage with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
lage has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Cotto is working away from the top position though.

Cotto wants to work for an arm triangle but lage is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cotto wants to pass to mount but lage is defending the position.
lage is trying to stand up here but Cotto is controlling him well.
lage is refusing to be controlled, as Cotto sits in half guard.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Cotto lands a nice short elbow.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
lage looks to clinch

so Cotto counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.

Cotto gets to his feet - lage follows without any prompting.
Cotto shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and lage counters by moving into the clinch.
lage lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Cotto.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Cotto turns his hips and lands a very nice judo throw into side control!
lage tries to bench press Cotto off him but Cotto keeps the position.
Cotto working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
You can see the frustration on lage's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
lage is looking to regain half guard here but Cotto keeps moving and retains side control.

Cotto thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Cotto throws a strike aimed at the side of lage's head but lage avoids it well.
lage is looking for a sweep.

Cotto working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
lage manages to work his way to half guard, despite Cotto's best efforts.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cotto uses his free foot to push down on lage's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for lage.
lage is trying to stand but he's just given Cotto his back.
You can see the frustration on lage's face… He knows he is in trouble unless he improves his position sooner rather than later.

Cotto is cranking lage's head sideways - that looks painful. He's managed to get his other arm under the chin and this looks bad for lage! He's tightened the choke and lage is tapping out!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:52 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (RNC). Miguel Cotto!